


Free Spirit

by randomfandomimagine



Series: Free Spirit [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Adventure, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, OC, Original Character - Freeform, Original Female Character - Freeform, Romance, Slow Burn, Supernatural Elements, Werewolves, mild swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-07-18 14:56:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 89,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16120865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomfandomimagine/pseuds/randomfandomimagine
Summary: I consider this a little prologue before the story actually starts. Thanks to everyone that might start reading this story! :)





	1. Prologue: A Dream?

**Author's Note:**

> I consider this a little prologue before the story actually starts. Thanks to everyone that might start reading this story! :)

Her eyes flashed open. She took a deep breath as she realized it had been just another nightmare. Darkness surrounded her completely. Only the sound of her quick breaths could be heard in the silence of the night. She reached out to grab her phone from her bedside table but her hand only met with a cold and rough surface. Immediately, she started to panic. She wasn’t in her room. Where was she?!  
Realizing she was lying down in an unknown place, the girl sat up quickly and tried to stay calm even though it was a hard task.  
She tried to make out something in the darkness, but her eyes hadn’t still gotten used to the lack of light. She pricked up her ears so maybe the sounds could give her a clue of where she was at. But it was completely quiet.  
The girl stood up and was about to look for her phone in her jeans pockets when she realized she was wearing her pijamas.  
Then, of a sudden, something finally made a sound. A far away light accompanied that noise as well. It was a buzzing sound, continuous and very loud. Almost like the one of a vehicle: a car or a motorbike. The light was closer each second, and it lit the road she was in.  
A road? What was she doing in the middle of a road?!  
The girl yelped when the source of that noise approximated at the speed of lightning. It was about to hit her. Shutting her eyes tight and holding her arms before her face to try and protect herself, she braced for the impact, but it never came.  
“What-?” A male voice startled her, making her open her eyes.  
Before her was a boy around her age. Tan skin, sweet brown eyes, short dark hair and strong built.  
The boy was sitting in his motorbike, which still roared loudly. He was staring at her, completely dumbfounded as to what was a girl like her doing alone in the middle of the road so late at night.  
“Are you okay?” He looked her up and down, wondering if she was harmed or if she needed help.  
“I… I…” Still in shock as her mind raced to try and understand, she tried to say anything. But none coherent words arrived to her mouth.  
“What’s your name?” He asked her instead, hoping that at least she could answer that. Hoping that she knew her own name and didn’t have amnesia.  
“Catori” She answered, gulping down the lump in her throat.  
The boy dedicated her a kind smile that lit up his brown eyes and walked up to her, leaving his bike behind for a moment.  
“I’m Scott” Realizing she was wearing her pajamas –a blue pair of pajama pants with yellow little ducks and white clouds, and a blue tank top with the same design –and she was barefoot, he decided to help her.  
Catori definitely looked scared, which meant that she had no idea how she ended up there. Or that whatever events that led her to the point hadn’t been kind to her.  
Scott took his jacket off and offered it to her, who hesitated for a moment before taking it and putting it on. She was shaking slightly.  
“Do you want me to take you home, Catori?”  
“Please” The girl nodded energetically as she huddled under his warm jacket.  
All she wanted to do was go back home and pretend like all that had been a nightmare. That she was dreaming because she was actually in her bed, inside her comfortable and safe room.  
“Hop on” Scott sat on the motorbike again and she slowly followed.  
Still in a daze, Catori positioned herself behind the boy and heaved a sigh as she put the helmet on. He had given it to her even though he apparently had only one.  
“Hold on tight” He warned her, and she complied by wrapping her arms around his stomach.  
Scott started the engine, and she shut her eyes tight as she waited to arrive home.  
It had to be a dream. It didn’t make any sense that she found herself lost, in an unknown road in the middle of the night and a boy she didn’t know had offered her to take her home. No, she would soon wake up in her bed and realize it all had been just a strange dream.  
It had to be a dream.


	2. Beacon Hills

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this story a while back and while my writing has changed a little ever since then, I really like how this story turned out and wanted to share it. So I hope you enjoy!

Catori awoke startled, not knowing where she was for a brief moment. After taking a deep breath and looking around, she realized she was in her room.  
She chuckled to herself, feeling silly for getting scared for nothing. Then again, she was used to sudden awakenings from all the nightmares she had been having for years now.  
“Catori, get up! First day of school!” Her mom’s voice came from downstairs, making her roll her eyes and grunt at the idea. Her first day of class in a new high school, where she’d be the new girl in a new town.   
Resigning herself, she pulled the covers off and stood up from the bed. Stretching herself and positioning in front of the mirror, Catori observed her reflection like she did every morning.  
But her glance went down to examine herself as she realized she was wearing an unfamiliar jacket on her. Images of what happened last night hit her. Being lost in the middle of the road, encountering that boy –whose name she had already forgotten –and letting him take her home in his motorbike while everyone was still sleeping, in the middle of the night.  
“Hurry up or you’ll be late, Catori!” Her mom insisted impatiently.  
Dazed, the girl complied and got ready to take a shower and prepare herself for her probably awful first day of class.  
*  
The building was madness, with hundreds of students roaming the corridors, rushing over to their classes and pushing her on her way to her locker.  
She didn’t even try to make friends because she knew she wasn’t the friendly type. But at least she hoped she could find that boy to thank him and give him his jacket back. He looked around her age, he had to be in high school with her.  
While Catori felt herself overwhelmed in the sea of teenagers she had gotten herself into, Scott was not far from her.  
“What were you doing running around in your motorbike last night again?” His best friend Stiles asked him, confused yet irritated.  
“I heard there was a new pack in town, but I guess it was a false alarm” Scott absently replied.  
He felt a strong scent of restlessness accompanied by another scent, those proper of each people’s identities. He had been near that certain person before as their scent felt extremely familiar. Yet it wasn’t Lydia’s or any of his friends’.  
“Oh, really?” Stiles chuckled, not really believing that theory. “Who told you that?”  
“Derek” Scott kept on walking, barely paying attention to his friend as they walked through the corridors that slowly emptied of people.  
Stiles let out a sarcastic laugh that spoke for him.  
At that moment, Scott’s eyes fell over someone who caught his attention. It looked like the girl from last night, but was she really? He looked at her thoroughly to check it was her and not somebody else.  
Tan skin, very long wavy brown hair, intense green eyes and average height. It was definitely her, even though at first he didn’t recognize her with her skinny jeans, her converse and her Batman t-shirt. Last time he saw her she was wearing some girly pijamas.  
“Dude, where are you going?” Stiles complained, watching as he walked away. “We have class!”  
“Catori?” Scott muttered, absently noticing how Stiles followed.  
The aforesaid quickly turned around to the sound of her name.  
“Oh, I was hoping I’d meet you here, uh…” She trailed off to let her know she didn’t really remember his name.  
“Scott” He told her with a tiny smile.  
“Scott” She repeated, offering him his jacket back. “This is yours, thank you”  
“Did you find out what you were doing then?” The boy asked her, widening his smile in a friendly way.  
Catori just shrugged. Scott could feel his best friend’s eyes on him.  
“Guess I sleepwalked” Was all she answered.  
An awkward silence fell over the three teenagers as they squeezed their brains trying to think of something to say.  
“See you around then” She finally said, closing her locker and walking away.  
“Bye” Scott and Stiles told her at the same time.  
Soon, the girl was out of sight as she entered one of the classrooms.  
“You know the new girl?” Stiles asked his friend, motioning for him to keep on walking on their way to their class.  
“It’s Catori” Scott answered simply. “I met her last night”  
“Last night?” Stiles exclaimed.  
“I found her in the middle of the road as I headed back”   
They finally entered their class and sat down next to each other, dropping their bags to the floor and carrying on with the conversation when they noticed the teacher hadn’t arrived yet.  
“That’s why she said she was sleepwalking?”   
“Yeah”  
The teacher came in right then, asking for silence as he started the lesson.  
“I think she’s weird” Stiles said before he faced forward again.  
He gave the conversation for finished, but Scott was still thinking about that girl. Stiles had been right when he said she was weird. There was something strange and mysterious about her, but it was probably just the fact that she was new to Beacon Hills.  
*  
When the first hour of the day was over, Catori stood up from her seat and heaved a sigh that showed her annoyance and resignation. It had only been one hour, but it sure felt as long as an entire day.  
At least, the teachers didn’t force her to stand up and introduce herself to the class. That would have been awful, and she was glad that the teacher had just mentioned she was new and that her name was Catori before he started the lesson.  
After that never-ending lesson of History, she was supposed to be heading to the classroom number 27 for Math. But she had no idea where that classroom was and had no time to go find it.  
Sighing and sarcastically mumbling to herself about what a great first day she was spending, Catori walked along the corridors stomping her feet. Then the girl bumped into someone. She looked up to see a boy with deep blue eyes that stared back at her curiously but with kindness.  
“You’re new, right?” He asked her, timidly steadying her by the shoulders as they recovered from the crash.  
“Hello to you too” Catori mumbled, grimacing a little in disgust. She knew being the new girl would be her new annoying label.  
“Sorry” The blond boy smiled. “I meant to say that you seem lost”   
The girl shrugged, not wanting to admit she actually was.  
“I can show you the way” The boy showed her a little shy smile and awkwardly repositioned his backpack over his shoulder.  
“Class 27” She told him reluctantly, knowing she wouldn’t find it in time without help. “Math”  
“This way” He scratched the back of his neck and started to walk. Catori followed him in silence. “I’m Liam, by the way”   
He looked at her and offered her a warm smile.  
“Catori” The girl introduced herself in return.  
Liam seemed to be hesitant for a moment, as if he wanted to ask her something but thought that she would get annoyed. After all, that day had to be pretty tiring for her and he could understand the bad mood. Despite the fact that she clearly wasn’t the extremely friendly and social type either.  
“I saw you talking to Scott and Stiles before…” He tried, observing her expression. She didn’t look too bothered by the subject, so he kept going. “Do you know them?”  
“Not really” Catori shrugged absently as her eyes trailed the walls seeking the right classroom. “We just encountered once”  
“Aha…” Liam nodded, finally stopping once they had arrived at the right classroom. “I just wanted to know because they’re my friends”  
“Fascinating” She wriggled her nose and pointed at the classroom. “Is this it?”  
“Yeah” Liam tapped the plaque with the class number. “Class 27”  
“Thanks, kid” Was all she said before disappearing inside the classroom.  
She braced herself for another torturous hour. Catori couldn’t wait for her first day to be over.  
*  
The first three hours of the day were exhausting for Catori. And as she got out of Economics, as soon as she found out the teacher was also Coach Finstock, she knew something for sure: trying out for the Lacrosse team was discarded.  
Feeling relieved to have a break, she sat down in the cafeteria, on an empty table. Catori briefly looked at the people loudly talking and laughing around her and wanted to block all that noise out. She simply put some headphones on and decided to listen to some music.  
She started to eat her lunch –chicken nuggets, fries and chocolate pudding accompanied with a bottle of water –and focused on the music. But she realized that it wasn’t music what was sounding. Instead, the news were on the radio. Her mom had the habit of taking her phone to listen to the radio and often forgot to put it off, making it pop up every time Catori plug her headphones in.  
Rolling her eyes and getting annoyed at her mom, she looked for the music player on her phone. Just as she was about to tap the icon and stop the radio feed, she stopped. The news were talking about people going missing in Beacon Hills. She thought that if there was some short of crazy killer or something, she wanted to know about it.  
“Another girl, twenty one years old, has disappeared. With this one, it’s the fourth missing person in a week. Sheriff Stilinski is still investigating the case-“  
“Hi!” A voice made her jump in surprise, too into the mysterious thing she was listening to. She took her headphones out and looked up to see Scott.  
“Scott, what are you doing? Scott…!” Stiles was right next to him, patting his shoulder impatiently. The boy carelessly shrugged the hand off his shoulder and grinned at her.  
“Hello…” Catori replied, confused by the sudden interest on her. Well, Scott’s interest. Stiles was obviously not too enthused about her.  
“Mind if I sit down?” Scott said as he already was pulling out the chair to sit on it.  
“Actually…” She started saying, but the boy showed her a big friendly grin and sat down, interrupting her.  
Catori thought that he looked like an excited puppy when he saw someone new. A part of her thought it was adorable and very endearing. The other part was annoyed because she felt like being alone.  
For her, lunch had been like a far off light in the horizon for the whole day. She was looking forward to it to leave her mind blank, relax and maybe daydream a little. But now she had to chat with Scott and actually be social, which she wasn’t feeling like at all.  
“How did your first day go?”  
Catori sent him a grave glare, but he didn’t notice that he was bothering her. Stiles, on the other hand, probably did but didn’t care.  
“What are you doing?” He asked his friend.  
Scott looked over his shoulder to the restless boy, holding the annoyed stare.  
“She’s new here” He whispered. “I just want to be nice to her, she’s alone”  
“But…”  
“Talking about me pretending I’m not here is rude” Catori mumbled as she put one earphone back on. Scott and Stiles glanced at her quickly, surprised that she heard their whispers.   
“Whatever” Stiles sighed and patted his friend’s shoulder one last time. “I’m going to look for Lydia”  
Catori watched how the boy walked away and then glanced back to Scott, who awkwardly smiled at her.  
“Sorry about him” He mumbled, absently looking down to her food. “He’s-“  
“It’s okay” Catori interrupted him before he could ramble. She shrugged and kept munching at her nuggets. Not that she cared about anyone’s opinion that much anyway.  
“So…” Scott was obviously making an effort to try and start a conversation, seeing as she wasn’t too communicative. “How are you liking Beacon Hills?”  
“So far so great…” The girl sighed and took a sip out of her water bottle, calmly. “Boring classes, boring teachers, boring shops…”  
“Sounds… boring” The boy frowned, frustrated because he really wanted to make her feel better about the city. Maybe it was that she was the new girl and he had a weakness for new girls. But whatever the reason, he grew fond of her immediately.  
He just wanted to be nice to her, because to his eyes Catori seemed a little lost. Not only right there and then, since she was eating by herself and looking mildly troubled. But Scott couldn’t erase from his memory the incident in which he met her, in the middle of the road very late at night.   
Catori couldn’t help but to lift the corner of her lips when she noticed Stiles. He was sitting in a table a few meters away from them, and a very pretty girl sat next to him. That must have been that Lydia he mentioned before. But what was so hilarious was the fact that the boy was glancing in their direction, observing her and Scott with suspicious eyes and such a bored expression that she was sure that he would fall asleep at any moment. The girl that accompanied him was also talking nonstop about something that didn’t interest him too much either.  
“What do you say?” Scott was showing her a friendly smile when she looked back at him.  
“Sorry, what?” Catori blinked repeatedly to focus on the conversation and not on the amusing sight that Stiles was.  
“I said you can hang out with us if you want” He repeated, briefly looking over his shoulder to try and find out what got her attention like that.  
“I don’t think your dear friend would be too happy about that” Actually, it was just an excuse. If she truly wanted to hang out with them, she would despite his own personal opinion about her. But she wasn’t really looking for new friends.  
Not that she actually minded Scott being around, but she wanted to avoid getting too involved with him or them, or with anyone really. Just because whenever she made new friends it was time to move again.  
Beacon Hills was just another stop in her never-ending journey across the country. It was because of her dad, who constantly had to change cities because of his work. Catori barely even saw him because he worked so much.  
Anyhow, Catori preferred to be on her own and do whatever she wanted. Because chances were she would have to abandon her new friends again anyway.  
“But-“ Scott mumbled shyly, watching how she stood up. She didn’t want to stay there any longer.   
Catori said goodbye to Scott and left to carry on with the rest of her classes.  
*  
Finally that awful first day was over. The annoying stares, the exasperating classes…. Everything was over for the moment.  
Catori didn’t feel like going back home so soon, though. She knew her mom would be at the museum and she would be slightly busy there to ambush her with questions about her oh so great first day at the Beacon Hills High School. So what the girl felt like doing the most was visiting her mother at the museum. And if her mom needed to stay there, Catori would go back home.  
So she walked out of the building, carrying her backpack, and headed for the museum.   
“See you tomorrow, Catori!” Scott dedicated her one of those friendly smiles of his before he put on his helmet.  
“Bye, Scott” She waved at him, deciding that it wouldn’t hurt to be nice to him every once in a while.  
“Need a ride?” He held on to his green and white motorbike and waited for her response.  
“No, thanks”  
“Okay” He nodded and started the engine, which roared again with a loud noise. The boy then drove off, leaving her there in the parking lot.  
As Catori kept on walking, she noticed a few familiar faces of classmates and people she had run into during that day. Liam, Stiles, Lydia, that girl she sat next to her in Math class called Marina, the boy that asked her for a pen… Still, Catori looked away, overwhelmed by the thought of saying something to all of those people.  
She sighed heavily, looking forward to going back home and relaxing in her room. Also looking forward to her first class of jujitsu at the new gym.  
For around three months or so, Catori had been training in her old town. It was a perfect way to let out any pent up stress and stay in shape at the same time. And for a change, she was excited for that. But for now, she was walking to the museum where her mother worked at to visit her.  
After walking for a while, she could already see the store through the glass of the windows. Her mom was there, pacing up and down the shop to go wherever she was needed at. A younger woman was inside too, her educated co-worker, called Minerva.  
“Hello” Catori walked in, looking around the store curiously. It was the first time she actually saw it because of the move, or at least the first time that she paid attention to it.  
“Lucy, your daughter is here!” Minerva told the woman who kept walking up and down the store.  
It had been Lucy’s first day of work in there as well, so she was obviously very busy and stressed as she tried to get her bearings.  
“Give me a moment” Catori’s mother replied absently.  
“How are you, Catori?” Minerva asked her kindly.  
They had only met once, when the previous day Lucy had walked her daughter to the museum to show her the new working place. That was when Minerva was introduced to Catori, who quite liked the girl as well.  
“Good, I guess” Her green eyes traveled across the place, finding all the things in there to be quite interesting. She recognized a few of the symbols that decorated the vases, sculptures and other ancient artifacts. Catori knew the triskelion, triquetra, spiral and not much more.  
“It’s all Celtic” Minerva explained briefly, showing her a few of the things of the museum with an arm movement. Catori nodded, partially interested by the subject. Not about the historical part, though, but more for the artistical one.  
Minerva started rambling about the culture and the story of the Celtic people –Catori soon realized the reason Minerva worked there was because she was the biggest history nerd –but the girl wasn’t listening. She absently observed the Celtic symbols engraved in stones, the runes and vases and the miscellaneous other Celtic things that were on the glass cabinets.  
“I’m sorry, honey” Lucy was back soon, greeting her daughter with a kiss on the temple.   
“It’s okay, I’m not in a hurry” Catori smiled at her mom, who did the same.  
“How was your first day of school?” Lucy asked her, owning an exasperated grunt and an eye roll from the young woman.  
“Everything I dreamed of” Catori sarcastically answered, wearing a bitter smile. Her mom couldn’t help but to grin a little.  
“Tomorrow will be better” Lucy cheered her up, kindly combing her daughter’s long brown hair.  
Catori complied by nodding in spite of herself.  
“You should go home and eat something, I still have work to do”   
“Okay” Catori said goodbye to her mother and waved at Minerva as well and left the store.  
As she walked back home, she thought that the day couldn’t get any longer. It felt like she had been stuck in that first day at Beacon Hills forever.  
*  
Exhausted, Catori plopped down on her bed and heaved a big sigh.   
The next day, a new schedule of stressful and boring things awaited her. Still, she felt excited for some reason. Maybe it was the adrenaline rush that her jujitsu training on the new gym brought her because, although it had been tiring, it had been exhilarating as well. She felt brand new energies within herself and another day in that town suddenly didn’t seem as bad. Catori had survived her first day, and it had been quite interesting.  
As she closed her eyes and waited for the sweet slumber to reach her to give rest to her weary mind and her exhausted body, she tried to remember all the good things that happened that day.  
The young blond boy and his cute coy smile. She thought that Liam, although he only saw her as the new girl at first, was an okay guy.  
The extremely friendly Scott, who she actually liked a lot. Maybe the next day she wouldn’t be so grumpy and bitter and would try to get along with him.  
The cool museum where her mom worked. Even if she had to spend many hours there to accompany her mom or to just give her a hand when she was really busy, she wouldn’t mind. She liked museums, they made her feel calm and cultured.  
And lastly, her favorite part. The new gym where she learned jujitsu. She had really missed training for the whole time she was in that town before she started classes. Catori loved it for the simple reason that it let out all of her stress and made her feel energetic and renovated as well.  
Feeling how she was falling asleep, she let out a tiny sigh of content.   
Beacon Hills was an interesting place filled with new possibilities but also was a big change and it would take a long time for her to get used to it. If she had that much time in there that is.  
Still, Beacon Hills didn’t seem so bad after all.


	3. I Don't Like You

Even half asleep, Catori let out a noise that was a mix between a grunt and a sigh, filled with exasperation. The alarm clock had just sounded, waking her up from her peaceful yet blank slumber. Feebly, she let her hand fall out on top of it to turn it off and she moved on her side to face her back to it.  
She was tired, because she didn’t rest too well. It was usual for her to have nightmares or restless dreams as she had last night, which also explained why she sometimes sleepwalked.  
Grumpily, she opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling with a pout. Not that going to school again seemed so bad after her first day, but it was waking up early what set her killer mood.  
Resigned, she threw the covers off herself and got ready to go to class, choosing to wear her cozy black hoodie and a pair of pale jeans along with her red converse. Once she was dressed, Catori watched her reflection on the mirror as she tried to analyze her own emotions.   
She felt restless. Actually, she felt herself shaking with excitement as she wanted to go back. After knowing what she was up against, she wasn’t as intimidated anymore. In fact, Catori wanted to see those people again, especially Scott. That damn boy had made himself a place in her heart already because she felt like he was a genuinely good guy and his kind and friendly nature made her grew fond of him despite not knowing him.   
And maybe see Stiles too, to tell one or two things to that hyper kid who kept eyeing her suspiciously.   
She sighed, feeling still in that fidgety mood as her stomach was filled with butterflies from the nerves.  
Catori absently combed up her hair as she got ready to leave for school.  
*  
Even after her first hour of the day, the girl still felt just as restless and nervous. But not only that, she felt… strange.  
Catori found no ability to focus that day as her mind kept wandering to places she didn’t even remember. She was just absent without realizing, and even if she tried to stop daydreaming and leaving her mind blank, it was hard. It was one of those days.  
Barely realizing where she was going as she walked the hallways, she arrived to her locker and grabbed the books she needed for her next class. Still, her mood bugged her because she hardly ever got so absent. That restless feeling in her stomach worried her as well, because it made her feel like something out of the ordinary was happening. Something… bad, even.  
Frustrated, Catori shook her head and closed her locker.  
“So you must be the famous Catori” A soft but sassy female voice said, causing the aforesaid to turn around. She saw a really pretty girl with strawberry blonde hair and green eyes, opening a locker close to Catori’s. She wore a beautiful dress that she combined with a pair of high heels.  
For a second, Catori stared at her since she looked familiar but couldn’t quite figure out why.   
“I’m Lydia” The girl checked her hair in the mirror that was inside her locker and combed it as she pursed her lips together.  
Catori then remembered seeing her the previous day, sitting down with Stiles as she bore him to death while he sent the new girl death glares.   
“Scott talked about you” Noticing that she was still quiet, Lydia kept speaking to fill the silence.  
The redhead showed her a confident and kind smile when Catori still didn’t say anything.  
“Did he?” She replied, a hint of a smile growing on her lips.  
“He’s excited like a little puppy” Lydia tilted her head and smirked a little.  
Catori grinned, realizing that Lydia had just spoken her own thoughts. She liked her.  
“Sounds like Scott”   
Lydia smirked, happy that she managed what she wanted.   
There was something about Catori that called to her, that made her want to be her friend. Almost as though they were similar, like they could understand each other better than anyone. Even if she had no idea why she got that feeling.  
“See you around, new girl” Lydia picked up a few books and closed her locker, walking away from Catori, with the clicking of her heels echoing across the halls.  
*  
Yet another of those eternal classes was awaiting for the girl as she came into the classroom. She took a quick look around to choose a seat, but it seemed like all the places were already taken. Except one. What a coincidence that the only free seat on the whole class was the one behind Stiles Stilinski, the boy that obviously hated her.  
Resigned, Catori plopped down on the chair and put her bag on the floor. Just as she started to take out her notebook and case filled with pens, she heard a big and annoyed sigh coming from Stiles.  
A tiny evil smirk formed on her lips as she had the perfect idea to annoy him. Since he was so determined to dislike her, Catori could give him a few reasons to do so.  
She swung her legs forward and backwards, like a child, until her converse hit Stiles’ chair. Fuming mad, he turned to her as she kicked the back of his chair for the third time. Catori pressed her lips together real tight not to laugh on his face because of the hilarious annoyed pout of his expression.  
“Oops, sorry” Her voice drained sarcasm and fake innocence. “It was an accident”  
Stiles showed her a mocking grin and angrily turned back round to face the board where the teacher wrote in. Catori couldn’t suppress an amused chuckle as she noticed the boy’s stiff shoulders, and more when he pushed his chair forward so it was out of her reach.  
Knowing she had to focus on the lesson and not on annoying Stiles –even if it was far more entertaining than Literature–, she fixed her eyes on the words the teacher wrote.  
The continuous sound of the chalk hitting against the smooth surface of the blackboard almost put her into a trance.  
Again, it was extremely easy for her to zone out and just leave her mind blank. Like it didn’t want to face reality despite her efforts, like it was trying to let her know that there was something else inside her own psyche that she could be paying attention to instead. So for once in the whole day, she embraced it. Classes were boring, and sitting in front of her was newly discovered nemesis, so she had no problem with letting her imagination wander or just ridding her mind from any thoughts.  
“Catori!” A loud voice broke her from her fantasies.  
“What!” She jumped up a little and looked around, being aware of her surroundings again.   
Everyone in the classroom was staring at her. Including the teacher, her dark eyes piercing Catori harshly. And including Stiles, with a grimace of obvious dislike on his face.  
How long did she zone out for? Catori felt like she had been gone for several minutes, because what was written in the blackboard then had barely anything to do with what her notes said.  
“Would you mind stop daydreaming and pay attention, please?” The teacher asked her, sending her a glare of disapproval.  
“Sorry” She bowed her head down and grabbed her pen to take notes again.  
Someone huffed nearby, causing her to look up from her notebook. It was Stiles, who observed her from the chair, his body turned to her as his eyes were fixed on her in aversion.  
“Weirdo…” He mumbled under his breath, but she definitely heard.  
“Nerd…” She replied back, even if she didn’t know if he heard.  
However, Catori sighed. So far, her experience on the Beacon Hills High School wasn’t so good. She had survived the first day, but her second day was turning out to be a disaster.  
And she hadn’t even bumped into Scott yet, who was the only one she actually wanted to encounter in spite of all. So she just resigned herself like she had been doing ever since she arrived at that strange town, and braced to put up with the rest of the day.  
*  
When Literature was over and everyone was leaving the room with collective relief, the teacher called her. Hesitant as to what she wanted, Catori walked up to the woman with an apologetic smile.  
“I’m sorry that I zoned out” The girl said, awkwardly adjusting the straps of her bag to her shoulders. “Please don’t tell me off…”  
“It’s alright” The woman shrugged with a bored expression. “I’m just a substitute teacher, I can’t really expect you to take me seriously”  
Surprised by that statement, Catori narrowed her eyes and stared at her. The woman surely was tired of having to be there, it was obvious by her exasperated looks. Teachers were probably looking forward for the class day to end too.  
Wondering what she really wanted as the teacher eyed her in a strange way, Catori cleared her throat.  
“Did you want anything, miss-?” Before she could finish talking, the woman interrupted her.  
“Call me Vanessa” She showed Catori a mysterious grin. “I just wanted to offer you any help you need since you’re new here too, let me know if you ever need anything”  
A moment of silence followed, in which the girl awkwardly stood there whilst she waited for Vanessa to say something else.  
“Okay, Vanessa…” She tried again, seeing as she still kept her from leaving. “Is that all then?”  
The woman’s glance shifted from Catori to the corridor and then back to the girl.  
“Yes” She smiled at her again. “You can leave”  
Thinking that she was cuckoo as well in that crazy town, Catori distanced herself from the woman, looking back to briefly looked back to her yet averting her gaze when it met with the teacher’s dark eyes.   
Sarcastically rejoicing on the lecture the substitute teacher gave her, Catori walked out of the classroom to have lunch. Hopefully, there she could improve her mood by chatting with Scott. If Stiles didn’t intercept him, that was.  
“You don’t see anything strange? She was in the middle of the road, alone, in her pijamas! How is that not strange, Scott?!” An irritated voice caught her attention as she walked into the corridor.  
Of course, it was Stiles, who tried to convince his friend not to trust Catori.  
“She looks nice… I like her” Scott shrugged as he looked at the rest of his friends.  
One of them was a girl with dark hair put up in a ponytail, with her shoulders wrapped by Scott’s arm. That blond kid from the first day, Liam, who frowned at the floor in doubt, was there too. Along with them was a girl with a grumpy face that vehemently nodded at Stiles’ words, agreeing in distrusting her. And Lydia, who listened to Stiles and rolled her eyes at his dramatism.   
“You like everybody!” Stiles exclaimed angrily, worried about his friend’s safety.  
He had seen enough people trying to hurt them to just let anyone into their lives again. After all, he was right about Jackson, Matt, Peter and basically almost everyone. So far, he hadn’t been wrong. They turned out to be bad, and they had tried –and almost succeeded –to hurt, betray them or even kill them. Why should he trust a suspicious girl that just arrived in Beacon Hills and apparently no one knew nothing about?   
“Stilinski” Catori stomped her feet as she determinedly walked up to him. The rest of the group started in silence.  
Ready to face her, Stiles turned to her with his arms crossed. He didn’t dare to look at his friends, he just fixed his brown eyes on her.  
“I think we can agree that I don’t like you and you don’t like me” She started saying, to which he nodded.  
“You’re right, I don’t like you”  
“But if you have something to say about me” She ignored his comment and kept on talking “Say it to my face”   
Catori sent him a harsh glare that he held surprisingly well, not even batting an eye.  
“Fine: I don’t trust you” The boy replied simply.  
“Stiles…” Scott meddled in softly, not really wanting to upset him any further but not wanting to hurt Catori’s feelings either.  
But Stiles ignored his friend, too pigheaded to admit he could be wrong. He was positive: there was something odd about that girl, and he was not ready to trust her nor to let his friends be in danger by doing so.  
“Great, because I’m not here to get your approval, Stilinski” Catori was about to turn around and leave him there after dropping that, but he stopped her.  
“Now that we’re on the subject, why are you here?”   
Catori glanced at him harshly, but didn’t reply at first, she just kept her lips tightly closed.  
She was not going to admit that it was just another town her dad had to move to. She wasn’t going to admit that deep down his attitude hurt her because she had done nothing to deserve that hostility. Because she just wasn’t like that.  
The girl just looked up to the rest of them. Apparently only Stiles and the other girl, the one with the scowl, agreed.   
Liam focused his blue eyes on her with a sympathetic look. Scott frowned sadly as he observed her. Lydia stared at her with an apologetic glance. And the other girl didn’t seem to think she was evil either.  
“It’s none of your business” Saying that, Catori left.  
There went her only chance to be with Scott during lunch.  
*  
Rid from her appetite, Catori absently picked on her food.  
That unpleasant encounter with Stiles and the gang had only made her feel bummed out. And that, in turn, only caused her thoughtful attitude to get worse.  
Not that she cared what Stiles thought about her, because she definitely didn’t. But he apparently convinced everyone that his paranoid thoughts were logical, hence banishing her from the only chance of a friendship she had.  
Catori shook her head briefly, thinking that it was no use anyway, that it was for the best. Again, chances were her dad had to move out again and she would have to forget about Scott and everyone one way or another.  
“He can be such a drama queen sometimes” A familiar voice surprised Catori, because she hadn’t noticed someone had sat down with her.  
“Huh?” As Catori observed Lydia sitting down in front of her, she tried to make sense out of the words she heard because she was only half listening.  
“Stiles” Lydia clarified, as though it was obvious. “He gets a bit paranoid at times. He doesn’t hate you or anything, he just doesn’t know if he can trust you yet”  
“Like I care” The girl pretended to be cold and heartless as she put an emotionless face and shrugged.   
“Don’t take him seriously, he’s just trying to protect us” Lydia absently picked one of Catori’s grapes from the dessert on her tray and ate it.  
“Protect you from what?” Although she was aware that Beacon Hills was a strange town, she couldn’t imagine what Lydia was talking about.  
“Believe me, this town is madness” However, as she talked, a warm grin was on her red lips. “That’s all you need to know, honey”  
“Maybe so” Catori pushed her tray aside since she wasn’t hungry yet. “But what kind of a menace could I be to you guys?”  
Lydia watched her nails for a moment in silence, inattentive, to then drag her green eyes until they met with Catori again. She didn’t reply, just expressed herself through a simple shrug.   
Frustrated, Catori sighed heavily.  
“Just so you know” Lydia stood up from the chair and leaned her hands on the table. “He’s the only one that thinks that way, because Malia is just as paranoid as he is but she’s always like that”  
Confused, the girl stared at her. Malia had to be the grumpy girl that was next to Stiles and seemed to have some sort of crush on him.  
“In fact” Lydia insisted, reaching out to pick up Catori’s hand and examining her nails. “We could go for a manicure whenever you want, you could use one”  
Catori couldn’t help but smile, knowing it was her way of being nice and asking her to hang out.  
“Thanks”   
Lydia nodded and flashed her a kind smile that she appreciated.   
Not everything was lost after all.  
*  
Surprisingly, Catori chatted with Liam during the breaks in between classes. And Scott smiled at her warmly whenever they bumped into each other even if she looked at him cautiously. It seemed like, despite not trusting her entirely, they weren’t prepared to hate her yet. Stiles’ dislike of her didn’t expand to the rest of the group.  
Stiles’ death glares didn’t bother her anymore and, in fact, she enjoyed herself trying to annoy him as much as she could or just hitting him back with sassiness and basically being rude to him.  
So when classes were finished for the day and she walked back home –she knew her mom would be too busy to go visit her to the museum that day –Catori felt somehow satisfied with her second day. Or at least, more than she had been with her first.  
During the evening, she went to the gym again for her jujitsu lesson and made a new friend. An extremely cheerful and lovable girl called Amanda who she got along with surprisingly fast. And again, the adrenaline rush helped her feel better when she got home, got showered and relaxed in her room.  
The rest of the day was calm. She chatted with her mom when she arrived from the museum and texted Amanda for a while as well.  
She felt like the next day could have many surprises waiting for her.  
When she went to sleep, Catori lied down with a smile.


	4. Fitting In

Softly, Scott nudged Stiles as he watched how his friend stared at Catori from the other side of the corridor. Scott struggled between the amusement that wanted to put a grin on his face and the annoyance that made him want to sigh in exasperation.  
“Can you tell me what your problem with her is?” Since Stiles was pigheaded and wouldn’t change his mind about her, Scott insisted.  
“I don’t know…” The boy replied absently, narrowing his eyes as he still watched her. Curiosity and suspicion still washed over him.  
The girl was just leaning against the wall next to her locker, calmly listening to the music in her headphones. Nothing suspicious about her whatsoever.  
“You don’t know?” Scott repeated, surprised by that statement.  
Seeing as Catori hadn’t moved for around fifteen minutes and all she would do was stay there and focus on her music, he looked away.  
“No” Stiles sent his friend a mildly preoccupied glance. “But she bugs me”  
“Why?” Scott couldn’t understand why his friend disliked her, since the first found her to be a really nice girl despite her slight rudeness at first.  
“There’s something off about her. She’s…. weird. Don’t tell me it’s not suspicious that you found her in the middle of the night, on a deserted road by herself, Scott!”  
“Not that again…” Scott couldn’t conceal a sigh that time, rolling his eyes as well.  
“She’s… something!” Stiles genuinely wanted him to see his point of view. “Something strange. Maybe something that we haven’t even seen yet”  
“Look” Scott calmly started, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I know you’re worried. And I’m not saying I entirely trust her, but she looks nice, Stiles”  
“Scott…”  
“Even Lydia likes her” His friend defended himself. “And Liam chats with her too, she doesn’t look bad at all so I see no reason to be worried…”  
“What if she turns out to be a homicidal supernatural freak?”  
Scott gave him a tired look and then glanced towards Catori. From their point of view she actually looked a little awkward, which made Scott’s point of her harmless nature more believable.  
Catori was still listening to her music, looking around as she obviously waited impatiently for classes to start, which didn’t look like something that usually happened to her.  
“Fine, I’ll show you” Stiles distanced himself from his best friend, showing him a sulky face. “I’ll show you all”  
“Stiles…” Scott tried to stop him tiredly, but he was already going into the classroom despite it being empty.  
*  
Catori didn’t normally sit down on the chair when she arrived at the cafeteria for lunch. She plopped down feebly, wincing in pain when her sores muscles complained at the sudden movement. And the previous day she thought she was tired…  
She hadn’t managed to get much sleep and when the alarm clock woke her up, she seriously considered staying home and ditching school because she was still so tired and sleepy. And when she stood up from her bed, she discovered her jujitsu lessons were starting to take its toll on her since every fiber of her body was sore.  
So walking around the high school for the entirety of the morning, sitting down and standing up from chairs and basically moving in the slightest was torture. Not to mention the weight of the backpack.  
At least, Catori was thankful that they had no PE or that she didn’t sign up for Lacrosse. Because the coach seemed to be heartless when it came to practice, and she secretly thought he enjoyed watching them suffer.  
She ignored the pain as she picked up the fork and started eating the meatballs the cafeteria served that day. Even lifting the light fork to her mouth made her sore, not to mention carrying the tray to the table.  
As she ate, Catori noticed a friendly face smiling at her. Lydia approached her, greeting her with a little wave as she sat down. She behaved as though they had been close friends for a long time: openly and extroverted. But Catori didn’t mind at all, because that way she could chat to someone. And besides, she liked Lydia.  
“Girl, you look terrible” Was the first thing she told her.  
“Thanks” Catori replied sarcastically, heaving a sigh. “Didn’t sleep so well”  
“Which explains why you can barely lift that heavy fork” Lydia observed, watching her new friend’s struggles to shove some food in her mouth.  
“I’m sore everywhere”  
“What have you been doing?” Lydia’s voice acquired an amused tone, suggestive.  
“Jujitsu” She replied, staring at the redhead with a grin.  
“Is that what they call it these days?” Lydia tilted her head slightly and observed her, making her chuckle.  
“I’m serious” Catori mumbled, dropping the fork after she had eaten something.  
Lydia just grinned, and the both of them stood up because they knew more classes were up.  
“Hey, Lydia” The new girl called her as she picked up her stuff.  
“Yeah?”  
“Do you think we can go for that manicure someday?”  
During the first day, Catori had been very negative and pessimistic about making new friends. Because why bother if she may move out again?  
But then she had felt like a freak as everyone observed the new girl and she had to suffer to grow accustomed to that new place. And even though on her third day she was still getting used to it, things didn’t look so dark anymore. So she told herself ‘screw it, why not?’ and gave those friendships a chance.  
Lydia huffed, outraged, and picked her wrist.  
“Of course, honey” She put Catori’s hand in front of her own face so she could see her terrible nails. “I’ll give you a call this afternoon”  
Catori smiled and followed the girl as they headed outside of the cafeteria.  
*  
When the lunch break was over, Catori walked to the next classroom. She took her time to arrive, though, knowing that if she hurried it too much it would be worse for her sore legs. On her way, the girl noticed someone familiar that seemed to intend on getting in the same classroom behind her. To be honest, he looked sneaky and she had the feeling like he had been following her around.  
“Are you following me, Stilinski?” She stopped right at the door and turned around to watch him, fed up.  
“No…” The boy replied with a scowl, mumbling something under his breath that she didn’t catch. “Yes… So?”  
“Have I done something suspicious then?” Catori was positive that was the reason he had followed her, watching her to have any proof of his distrust.  
“Yes, why are you walking like that? Are you hurt?”  
“Well, I-“ Catori was about to actually explain that if she walked like a penguin it was because of her martial arts lessons. But he interrupted her rudely, rushing her in an accusative tone.  
“Were you in a fight?”  
“It’s none of your business, Stiles” She said in a mocking tone as she had always found his name to be silly.  
“You’re mocking my name? What kind of a stupid name is Catori?” He huffed at her in annoyance.  
To be honest, getting on his nerves was truly entertaining for Catori. So watching how he stuck up his bottom lip in an angry pout made her want to burst out laughing.  
Truth to be told, he was just looking for excuses to pick on the girl. He would have told her the exact same thing even if her name was Mary. She knew that, but still she decided to retaliate.  
“Hey, Catori is really cool” For one, she really liked it. Her parents had heard it somewhere and loved it so much that they chose it for her. “It means spirit. And it’s not stupider than Stiles, that’s for sure”  
She repressed the urge to stick her tongue out at him like a child and instead sulkily crossed her arms over her chest.  
“It’s not even my real name” Stiles replied, still acting a bit immature.  
“Then what is it? Moron Stilinski?”  
“It’s…”  
“Stiles!” Scott’s voice interrupted him, causing the boy to look over his shoulder to his friend.   
He walked closer to them as Liam accompanied him. The older boy smiled to the both of them and Catori couldn’t help but to think again that he was like a puppy.   
“We have class…” Stiles muttered tiredly, slowly turning around as his glance was still fixed on her.  
“You’re leaving already? Are you afraid that I can outsmart you, Stilinski?”  
“Yes” He dryly replied. “In fact, I’m so scared that I’m leaving before I start crying in front of everyone”  
That boy didn’t breathe oxygen, he breathed sarcasm!  
“I don’t think it would come out as a surprise” Catori wittily said, with an innocent voice that obviously bothered Stiles.  
For everyone’s surprise, Liam laughed at that. Stiles sent him a death glare that shut him up.  
“It was funny…” Liam complained, looking down to avoid that harsh stare.  
“Oh, yeah?” As Stiles looked back at her, it seemed like for a moment he had run out of smart things to say, because he wasn’t expecting that one. “Well, you’re weird”  
“Ouch” Catori said emotionless, calmly walking into the class.  
“You” Stiles quickly ambushed Liam as he put an arm over his shoulders, obviously telling him off for being a bit of a traitor.  
The both of them stood in the corridor as Scott and Catori still didn’t move from the threshold.  
“I’m sorry on his behalf” The boy frowned, his voice dripping kindness and apology.  
“I actually enjoy having someone to pick on” Catori replied with a grin, which made him smile as well.  
He was glad that she took his accusations that way. Instead of being offended and letting him win, she would just throw it back at him. And even though Stiles wouldn’t stop suspecting her, he never said she was ‘evil’. Because he didn’t think she was, she just… bugged him because he noticed something strange on her… different. And around Beacon Hills, different usually meant nothing good. He just wanted to keep an eye on her.  
“He’s not a bad guy, you know?” Scott insisted as he decided to come in and sat down at the back of the classroom.  
Catori briefly looked at Stiles’ direction and analyzed him as she watched him walk into the class once Liam left. He was chatting now with that girl, Malia, who was sitting next to him. Stiles was smiling, chuckling and apparently being a really nice guy. Just like Scott was implying.  
That was the worst part, Catori genuinely thought Stiles had to be a fun person to be around despite all the hate she got from him. Or he would be if he didn’t suspect her.  
*  
A sigh escaped her lips as she waited for the class break to be over. Who would have known that she would be looking forward to walking into class again? Just like she had been all morning.  
She didn’t feel like talking anymore because of her restlessness. For the entirety of the day, a gnawing feeling had settled on her stomach. At first she ignored it and managed to get through most of the morning forgetting about it. But then it became too intense to just pretend it wasn’t there.  
It was a strange bad feeling. An intuition that told her something was not completely right that day.  
Ironically, despite her reticence to be chatty and extroverted anymore, Scott, Lydia and Liam got along with her better than ever. And Stiles’ behavior didn’t bother her in the least, on the contrary, it amused her to have some short of an enemy who she could have wit battles with.  
“See you later, Catori” A female voice said to her, so Catori looked up from the floor and forced herself back to reality.  
“Bye!” The girl couldn’t disguise her surprise as Kira, Scott’s girlfriend, smiled and waved at her, so she did the same thing.  
Such simple gesture made her grin. Kira apparently agreed with her boyfriend about Catori, it seemed.  
Still, she had that unsettling feeling that wouldn’t leave her alone. As she tried to analyze it and find out what it was about, she found a possible theory about it. To Catori it didn’t feel like she fitted in completely. Despite the kindness of those who surrounded her, she felt out of place.  
After all, she recently arrived to Beacon Hills. She probably just needed more time to get used to it and feel like she found herself a place in there. And talking about fitting in…  
The substitute teacher, Vanessa, briefly glanced at Catori as she passed her by. Still, no words were said. But the girl couldn’t help but to feel like Vanessa was a teacher out of the ordinary. Just looking at her, you could tell.  
Her eyes were dark and deep, almost hypnotizing. Her hair was black, with a single blue tuft on the side of her head. And her skin was pale and looked delicate and beautiful like porcelain.  
Her clothes were also different for a teacher, too… casual and trendy, too… fashionable. She wore a brown leather jacket with a black tank top under it –she obviously liked dark colors –and boots that matched the long stockings that went up almost to her shorts.  
Vanessa passed by calmly, with the dignity and class of a queen. She was an interesting person for sure.  
Catori felt a little silly as she had been examining a teacher. But for some reason, she felt like she related to her. Like Vanessa, Catori was a little annoyed at that place and obviously stood out amongst the crowd.  
She crossed her arms over her chest as she watched other people walk by. Her Literature classmate George, with his glasses, jeans and a cute haircut. He had asked her for a pen on her first day, and to her he seemed an ordinary boy. Marina, the girl from her Math class, with her long blond hair and her extroverted smile. They all looked like they belonged in there.  
But Catori? Her image screamt ‘new girl’ wherever she went.  
The bell rang, announcing another boring hour of class. With a sigh, she braced for a lesson of History that would put her to sleep as she walked into the classroom. At least Mr. Yukimura was nice.  
Catori sat down in one of the chairs and put her bag on the floor, picking all the materials needed for the subject on the table.  
“I’ll keep you awake if you keep me awake” A voice told her as she felt someone sitting behind her. Catori looked over her shoulder when she recognized the voice.  
“Easier said than done, Scott” She mumbled tiredly, and smiled in spite of herself when she heard him chuckling.  
Curious as to where his best friend in the world was, Catori searched for Stiles.  
“Where’s the devil over your shoulder?”  
Amused by that description, the boy grinned.  
“He had to leave” He made a short pause. “But he asked me to tell you ‘I’m watching you’”  
“Sounds like him” Scott was probably just kidding, but she went along with him anyway.  
The teacher finally walked in just as they looked at each other and chuckled. Catori was glad that she could be joking around with him already, and more about Stiles.  
“Good morning” Mr. Yukimura said, leaving the briefcase over his desk.  
Immediately, Catori took her attention off the teacher. She would make an effort when he started writing stuff on the board, not a second before. Until then, she chatted with Scott casually and lowly.  
Interrupting their chat, the door to the classroom was opened. Everyone turned their heads in that direction. Natalie Martin, Lydia’s mom, walked into the classroom and looked around. It looked like she was searching for someone.  
“Um… Catori Hudson?”  
“Here” The girl raised her hand hesitantly, feeling like she wouldn’t receive good news exactly. She had been having a bad feeling after all.  
“I have been asked to deliver the news to you” The woman was obviously upset for what she had to tell her, Catori could read it on her expression.  
“What is it?” The girl asked apprehensively. She felt everyone’s eyes on her. And Scott’s stare burning in the back of her head as he worriedly stirred behind her.  
Natalie sighed and frowned as she spluttered it out.  
“The museum where your mother works has been robbed”  
Catori froze from the shock. She wanted to scream, to cry or to at least blink, but she couldn’t move. She was completely paralyzed, only aware of her racing heart thumping inside her chest.   
That intuition was not about her stupid status on the high school. It was about her mom. The museum had been robbed. She had to be terrified. She may be wounded. Or something even worse…


	5. A Mystery

She didn’t even care about her sore muscles anymore, Catori ran outside the building and stopped there for a moment, trying to think of something to do. Attempting to form a coherent through and breathe through the anxiety.  
She always walked to school, so she didn’t have any way of reaching her mom before she had a nervous breakdown out of sheer concern and fear.  
Even if she had a car –which she shouldn’t drive being so agitated¬ –she didn’t know where she had to go. Was her mom at the hospital? She didn’t know if she got hurt! Did she go to the police station? If she was okay they probably had to take her testimony. Was Minerva with her? Were they both okay?!  
Catori’s hands flew to her hair as she tried to slow her breathing and her fast heartbeat before she had some short of panic attack.  
“Catori!” A voice called her worriedly, but she didn’t turn to it. Soon, before her was the kind yet preoccupied face of Scott McCall. The boy softly held her by the shoulders and fixed his warm brown eyes on her. “Are you okay?”  
“I don’t know where to go, or how to go or… or anything!” The girl gulped, frightened and distracted. “I-I don’t even know if my mom got hurt”  
“Was she at the museum?” Scott asked her urgently, to which she nodded slowly. “Stiles heard about it, he says all the witnesses are at the police station”  
“Then my mom has to be there” Catori replied, slightly relieved that her mother apparently hadn’t been harmed. “I… I have to go with her”  
“Do you need me to take you there?”  
Catori felt shaky and restless, her eyes were also watery. She felt extremely tired and weary. Realizing he had asked her a question, she forced herself to answer the boy, so she nodded again, trying to show through her expression how grateful she was for his help since her voice felt too weak to speak up.  
“Come on” Scott held her by the wrist and took Catori to his motorbike.  
The both of them got on and he drove off in a rush.  
*  
Although Scott’s arm around her felt secure and comforting, Catori couldn’t stop trembling. Her mom was supposed to be okay, but Catori wouldn’t calm down until she saw with her own eyes that she was safe and sound.  
Scott pushed the door open and they walked into the police station. Immediately, the boy guided her to one of the desks, where a young man sat at, typing something on the computer.  
“Parrish” Scott interrupted him, making him look up from his work.  
“Hi, Scott” The young man’s eyes landed on the girl for a moment, noticing how distraught she looked. “Is… your friend okay?”   
“We’re here to see if Catori’s mother is here”  
“What’s her name?”  
The two males glanced at her, so she tried to get a hang of herself and answer.  
“Lu-Lucy Hudson”  
Noticing that she was still really scared, Scott gently rubbed her upper arm in an attempt to calm her down.  
“She’s in the interrogatory room” Parrish replied softly, frowning compassionately as he observed her.  
“Is she okay?” Catori rushed to ask him.  
“I don’t know, I wasn’t here when she arrived. You’ll have to wait until she comes out” The deputy pursed his lips together apologetically. “Sorry, Catori”  
The girl just nodded in a daze.  
“Hey” Scott gently shook her until she glanced up at him. “I need to talk to Stiles, alright?”  
“Okay” The girl nodded again, even if part of her didn’t want him to go.  
“Will you be okay?” He worried, fixing his eyes on her in concern.  
It made her feel better looking into his kind brown eyes and knowing he was there for her during that anguishing moment, but she obliged.  
“Yeah, don’t worry”  
“Wait here, I’ll be right back” Scott placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her one last time before he walked into the other room.  
As the door opened and Scott came in, she could have a glimpse of Stiles and a man that stood next to him. Catori noticed the glance the boy sent her so she looked away. She didn’t know that for once that glance was only filled with curiosity. For Stiles, she was a mystery. He didn’t understand what was that which made her so different.  
The girl kept averting her eyes as the door closed and quickly forgot about him.  
Sighing, Catori plopped down on a seat that rested against the wall of the room Scott was in. The girl started to fiddle with her own fingers in an attempt to keep her mind off the restlessness.  
Her thoughts kept wandering to the possible scenes that could have taken place in the museum during the moment it was robbed. And those scenes involved frightening images of her mother being harmed in many ways that made her cringe in fear. Trying to get those pessimistic thoughts away, she looked around and tried to focus her attention on something else.  
Behind her, she noticed a plaque on the wall. It read ‘Sheriff Stilinski’  
Catori squinted her eyes in curiosity, the surname being more than familiar to her. Was the Beacon Hills’ sheriff related to Stiles?  
“Are you kidding me?!” Someone exclaimed in the closed room, loud enough for her to hear through the walls. Actually, it sounded a lot like Stiles’ voice.  
Straining her ears, she concentrated on listening to the conversation that took place in there.  
“It definitely wasn’t someone ordinary” A deeper voice said, probably belonging to the sheriff himself, the man she noticed before. “The way they smashed everything and barged in so violently… it wasn’t normal”  
“Werewolves?” Scott’s soft voice suggested.  
“Wer-“ Stiles stuttered. “Werewolves. Why would a werewolf want to rob a museum?”  
“I don’t know”  
“Do you need anything?” A voice startled her a little as she was still preoccupied. Catori looked up to Parrish, who observed her with gentle eyes.  
“Uh… no”  
“Let me know if you do” He dedicated her a friendly smile that she couldn’t really reciprocate even if she wanted to.  
“Okay”  
“But hey, if your mom were hurt she would be in the hospital” Parrish carried on talking, trying his best to comfort her. “They wouldn’t have brought her here”  
“Thank you” Attempting to show him a smile, she lifted the corner of her lips a tiny bit.  
The young man stared at her for a moment, still showing her that grin, and slowly got back to work.  
Desperate to keep her mind busy and off her mom’s current situation, she thought back to Stiles and Scott’s conversation with the sheriff. She wanted to keep listening but they had lowered their voices enough so that it was impossible to hear them through the walls.  
What they said didn’t make any sense to her, though. Was ‘werewolf’ some short of code word that meant something else? They couldn’t be talking about actual supernatural creatures, about actual werewolves!  
But she quickly forgot about that conversation she overheard. She had bigger things to worry about even if she didn’t want to.  
Parrish’s words slightly relieved the tension within her, but she would still have to wait until her mother was back from the interrogatory.  
*  
Half an hour later, Catori was pacing up and down the police station, scared out of her mind. She was done with sitting down.  
Scott had returned and asked her to sit down again and take it easy around ten times, but she wouldn’t listen.  
Luckily, Catori spotted her mother walking out of a hallway and a sigh of relief overcame her as she observed her. Lucy didn’t show any signs of being hurt.  
“Mom” Catori let out a strangled whisper at the sight of her. The girl ran to her mother and hugged her tightly, glad that she was okay.  
“I’m alright, sweetie” Lucy sweetly caressed her daughter’s head to comfort her.  
“See? I told you” Parrish smiled and placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Your mom’s okay”  
Catori pulled away and smiled back at him as she nodded in appreciation.  
“Do you need a ride?” Scott asked behind her, with that sweet smile of his as his kind brown eyes observed the scene.  
He was really glad that Catori’s mother hadn’t ended up wounded. Or at least badly wounded. Lucy had a few wounds on her face, but they were minor cuts and bruises that would heal in no time.  
Catori turned to her mother before she went to talk to Scott. Lucy nodded, figuring he was a friend, and went to talk to Parrish. The young man was extremely nice to her as he explained the situation to the woman, and what little they knew about the robbery that took place. He said that she would have to talk to Sheriff Stilinski if she wanted further information.  
“We’ll walk home” Catori told Scott as she walked towards him. “But thanks. For everything, really”  
“No problem” He grinned warmly.  
To his surprise, Catori went to hug him in true gratitude.  
She really needed someone to be with her during that moment. And Scott had been there for her to comfort her. Even if he didn’t have to, even if he skipped class just to be with her, to accompany her. Because he wanted to. And she appreciated that and felt thankful to have someone like Scott McCall around.  
Then she pulled away and went to hold her mother’s arm, saying goodbye to Parrish as the two women slowly walked to the door to finally leave the building.  
But before they left, Catori looked over her shoulder and smiled a last time at Scott. The boy reciprocated the gesture.  
*  
The Stilinski men walked out of the office and they called for Scott and Parrish.  
“Was Lucy Hudson interrogated?” The Sheriff asked, just as Stiles and Scott listened intently.  
“Yes” Parrish replied, briefly turning around to pick up the report he had just received a few minutes ago, which lay on his desk. “Apparently she saw nothing, she was knocked unconscious before she could see the attacker”  
Scott and Stiles exchanged a complicity glance. They still believed a werewolf did that.  
“Any other witnesses?” The Sheriff insisted, looking at the boys too since he knew about the supernatural.  
“A girl called Minerva who works with her. But all she saw was a boy coming in and, according to her, he didn’t take anything despite the attack”  
Stiles chuckled in disbelief, gathering everyone’s attention on him.  
“Are you telling me that they robbed the museum but didn’t take anything?”  
“Apparently yes” The Sheriff sighed, clueless like the rest of them.  
“What did they barge in there for then?” Scott spoke up, his brow creasing in confusion.  
“It’s a mystery” Parrish shrugged, because he had no idea.  
“And you said before that it was something supernatural?” Stiles intervened, remembering that detail.  
“Along with the obvious superhuman strength, Minerva swears that the boy’s eyes had a strange golden color” Parrish nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. “But she blames it on the shock, she doesn’t believe it was actually real”  
“Sounds like a werewolf to me” Scott mumbled, looking at his best friend.  
“And she happened to miss the gigantic claws and fangs?” Stiles observed, frowning and tilting his head to the side.  
“Poor girl was scared, she said she just hid when the boy started breaking all the glass cabinets”  
“This doesn’t make sense” The Sheriff sighed, rubbing a hand over his face in exasperation.  
“It doesn’t” Stiles agreed with his father. “What would a werewolf want in a museum?”  
“And more if they didn’t take anything” Scott nodded his head.  
“What did they do there again?” Stiles squinted his eyes as his glance landed on Parrish.  
“He just barged in and destroyed the whole place” The young man said, shrugging his broad shoulders.  
“Terrifying them while they were at it” Scott added, frowning as he pictured how scared they should have been. And remembering Catori’s anguish too.  
“And it was only just that one guy…” Stiles rubbed his chin slowly in deep thought.  
“Any suspects?” Asked the Sheriff, trying to approach the situation as he would always do. Like a regular crime that didn’t involve a werewolf.  
“Not for the moment” Parrish answered, just as lost.  
The four men looked at each other, wondering what the purpose of the attack at the museum was. Who was that boy? Was he actually a werewolf? Did he actually take anything? And if he didn’t, why did he burst in there for?  
Again, it was all a mystery.  
*  
After lunch, once Catori made sure her mother was okay and that she didn’t need anything, the girl went to her room.  
Everything had ended up being only just a big scare.   
Luckily, she didn’t have jujitsu that day. She wouldn’t have gone even if she did, she was too tired with her sore muscles and her still restless nerves. Lying down on her bed while listening to music made her feel better, almost forgetting about everything that happened that day.  
Catori stared at the ceiling blankly while her mind replayed the events that took place during the day. And how horribly wrong it could have gone instead. She shook her head sternly at the thought. Her mother was okay, that was all that mattered.  
As if trying to distract her, Catori’s muscles still complained even when she was resting. How grateful she felt that she didn’t have to go to jujitsu, otherwise she would die of exhaustion.  
Her phone then rang all of a sudden, making her jump in surprise.  
When she looked at the screen, it said Lydia. Catori had completely forgot that she was supposed to call her to go for a manicure. Feeling exhausted, she picked up the phone and answered the call.  
“Lydia, I’m honestly not up to a manicure right now” She told her tiredly.  
“Oh, no, honey” Her friend began sweetly. “Forget about that, I heard about your mom and I wanted to know if she’s okay”  
Catori couldn’t help to smile for her concern. It warmed her heart to know Lydia cared about her new friend and her family as well.  
“She’s fine, thank you”  
“And you?”  
“Still a bit shaken up, but I’ll be fine”  
“Good” Lydia replied lively. “Look forward to that manicure soon”  
Catori chuckled in a friendly way.  
“Sure, for now see you tomorrow in class”   
“See you!”  
Catori hung up and lay back down, closing her eyes as she tried to relax completely. Remnants of stress and anguish still remained on her, making her feel restless. For the rest of the day up until it got dark, the girl just did her best to calm down and settle her mind in more ordinary events. She chatted with her jujitsu mate Amanda, she took a long relaxing shower and prepared to go back to class the following day. Hopefully it would be more normal and tranquil.  
*  
Meanwhile, in the crime scene, the Sheriff was investigating the robbery along with his son Stiles.   
Scott and Parrish had decided to accompany them, knowing of how great importance the case was if a werewolf was actual involved in it.  
Stiles distanced himself from the three males and walked to the other end of the establishment, where one of the glass cabinets had been especially shattered. Not a single piece of glass remained unbroken.   
The policemen and the young man talked lowly on the other end of the room. They were discussing what could have happened there, still trying to find out the truth about it all. Their voices filled the place.  
Something caught Stiles’ eyes, so they boy kneeled over and observed the mess of pieces of glass and broken vases.  
“Guys?” He spoke up, carefully picking up a vase while he tried not to cut himself with the shards that lay on the ground.  
“What is it?” Parrish asked as they approached him.  
Stiles held the vase up for them to see, leaving the rest bewildered at the sight. It was completely intact. As if they had been careful not to break it unlike the rest of the artifacts of the gallery.  
“What the hell?” The Sheriff uttered in disbelief.  
“It can’t be a coincidence that this very vase was left untouched” Stiles suggested, sending his best friend a complicity glance.  
“What’s so special about that vase?” Parrish piped up, voicing his thoughts and questions.   
“I don’t know” The Sheriff replied absently, his tone implying that there was indeed something special about it.  
“That’s what we need to figure out” Stiles tilted his head to the side as he observed the vase. One would think there wasn’t anything special about it. Just a regular small brown vase with a strange symbol engraved on it, like the many others.   
“Starting with that symbol” Scott pointed his finger at the vase, gracing his skin against the surface of the black symbol that stood out on the surface.  
It looked very familiar to them.


	6. Triquetra

With her head resting against the wall and her mind far away from there, Catori waited for the first class of the day to start. During her first period, she had talked with Scott and Lydia since they had been already having a chat on the corridors when she passed by. And she had stayed with them when Liam and Kira joined the group too. It was exhilarating to start feeling included.  
She wondered where they were as she looked at her wrist watch. Five minutes or so until the next class began. She had plenty of time to waste still.  
As she sat down in the corridor, she let her thoughts wander wherever they liked. And they ended up targeting Stiles Stilinski, Scott’s best friend, a clumsy and fidgety hyperactive kid with trust issues.  
However, even though she got incredibly annoyed just by looking at him, she didn’t really hate him. Because she could read him. It wasn’t always that she could read people. For example, she couldn’t do it with Scott or Lydia. But Stiles was like an open book for her. She could sense his kindness and caring nature, his good-natured heart and his sweetness despite it all. And she knew he was a cool guy even if he hated her. The only thing she couldn’t understand was his dislike of her. She never did anything against him or his friends.  
Maybe he was just trying to be cautious, since everyone kept saying that Beacon Hills had witnessed very strange things.  
In fact, she wondered where he could be at. Usually, she found him chatting with Scott or Lydia since there were really close friends. Or she would just walk into him on the hallways, making it to be a very awkward scene. But that day there was no sign of him anywhere. Where was he? She almost missed his death stares with squinty eyes. Almost.  
“Catori” Liam was standing there, towering over her as he shyly waved at her.  
The girl’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she stood up to talk to him nonetheless.  
“Hi, kid” She started as she hung her bag over her shoulder again. “What’s up?”  
“Scott sent me” He simply said with a casual shrug. “He wanted to know if you were doing okay after what happened yesterday”  
Catori chuckled in spite of herself. Wasn’t Scott a sweetheart? She still thought that he could have asked her himself when they chatted earlier. But it was true that he looked a little distracted.  
“Why can’t he come himself to ask me?” Catori crossed her arms over her chest and examined Liam.  
“Um…” The boy averted his gaze from her.  
She knew by that gesture that he wasn’t supposed to talk about it. There was something strange going on that day. Scott sending Liam and being busy and distracted? Stiles not being in class? And just after she overheard that odd conversation about ‘werewolves’.  
A strange sensation suddenly settled in her stomach, some sort of presentiment. Just as that word reached her head, a suspicion formed in her brain. A theory.  
“He’s just busy” Liam finally said, but Catori had already started inventing her own theories about it all.  
“I see. Just tell him that I’m fine then” With that, she just turned around and walked into the classroom, leaving Liam there by himself.  
She had no idea how long it would be until the next period started, but she didn’t mind sitting there reflecting while she waited.  
*  
After that long hour, it felt exhilarating to have ten minutes to brush all that boredom off.  
Lydia had two free periods, so Catori decided to hang out with her during her break between class and class. Since she was still restless about it all, she thought that maybe her new friend could give her some answers about the whole situation.  
While they walked outside of the building to get some fresh air, the girl rummaged through her head for a subtle way to ask what the hell was going on.  
Catori then noticed Scott, far away from them. He was talking to a tall burly man with a grumpy face. By the looks of it, the conversation was grave and serious, probably important as well. Did that talk and that man have something to do with whatever they were all hiding?  
“Are you okay?” Lydia suddenly asked her just as she thought of a good way to break the ice.  
“Yeah, why?”  
“You’re very quiet” Even if Lydia didn’t know her very well, she knew. If Catori was that quiet, it had to mean something. Most of the time, something not that good.  
“I was wondering where Stiles is” She innocently replied, trying to keep it cool. “I haven’t seen him all day”  
“Falling for him, are you?” The redhead smirked a little, observing her smugly.  
“Ugh, no” Catori stuck her tongue out in disgust. “I just thought it was odd”  
“Well, with all that happened everything is a bit chaotic” Lydia admitted, stopping at the entrance of the high school and resting her back against the wall.  
“Really?” Since she nodded, Catori insisted. “How so?”  
“The Sheriff is Stiles’ dad and they’re both trying to figure it out” The redhead shrugged casually. “And Scott wants to help them, so…”  
Those words just reinforced her belief that something weird was going on. There was something suspicious about that robbery at the museum.  
“But I don’t get it” Catori mumbled. “It was just a regular robbery, wasn’t it?”  
Lydia pursed her lips together in apprehension, remaining silent for a moment.  
“Trust me, Catori” The girl gravely placed her hands over her friend’s shoulders. “You don’t want to get involved”  
Catori opened her mouth to say something as she was left startled. But just as she was about to say something, the bell rang inside, surprising her.  
“I have to go!” She waved goodbye at Lydia and began to run.  
She was late. It wasn’t the first time that happened, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.  
Her next class was on the second floor, and the teacher was very strict about being late. She was a bit grumpy.  
“Oh, crap” Catori began to run because she would either give her detention or just throw her out of the classroom.  
Just as she reached the second floor and was about to turn a corner, she ran into someone.  
She huffed as she fell to the floor on her butt, making her sore muscles to ache just when she thought she got rid of the pain from the jujitsu practice.  
“I’m sorry! Are you okay?” Catori looked up and noticed who she had bumped into. Not him…  
When Stiles noticed it was her too, his kind and apologetic expression changed drastically.  
“You” The boy just said, sending her one of his many death glares.  
“I was missing your dairy dose of hatred, Stilinski” She replied dryly as she hurriedly picked up the books she had dropped when they collided.  
“Here you have some then, weirdo” Stiles dedicated her a mocking grimace that made her grin in amusement.  
“I would love to stay here to be entertained by your poor social skills, but I’m late for class” The girl stood up and observed for a second, still enjoying the annoyed look in his caramel brown eyes.  
He slowly stood up, that expression lingering on his face, and observed her.  
Smirking a little because she had obviously bothered him again, she smugly turned around and walked away. She rushed herself to finally arrive to the classroom. Because it was Literature time, and Vanessa didn’t look like the patient and understanding kind of teacher.  
*  
Although her lateness earned Catori and the whole class a ten minute long lecture about punctuality, the girl at least didn’t suffer the woman’s wrath.  
That hour was long and tiresome, and more since Scott wouldn’t chat with her like he sometimes did. The girl would glance to him from time to time to see what he was doing. He looked mildly preoccupied and distracted, which just confirmed her hunch that something fishy was going on.  
She picked up the notebook in which she wrote down everything that had to do with class in order to remember the homework Vanessa was giving them. Just as she did so, she noticed something.  
That wasn’t her notebook…  
Confused, Catori looked around it while Vanessa carried on with the rest of the lesson even if she wasn’t paying attention anymore. The girl couldn’t understand how her notebook disappeared and instead she got that one.  
But then her frown vanished as she remembered crashing with Stiles. In the confusion of notebooks and papers scattered around the floor and the rush to arrive to class, she probably picked up the wrong one.  
Realizing that she had access to one of his things, she grinned evilly as she began to look around its pages. She had no idea what it was about, but it definitely had nothing to do with any subjects or even high school.  
Her smirk growing wider, Catori became more interested in it. Maybe it would give her some answers.  
The girl decided to check the last pages first. The last thing he wrote on it probably explained what was going on with the whole museum robbery issue.  
Sticking her tongue out in concentration, she squinted her eyes to try and decipher Stiles’ handwriting carelessly scribbled down in a mess of closely drawn characters.  
It was all very concise, like a diagram, with arrows and circled and underlined words everywhere:

_Museum robbery_  
\- Nothing taken  
-Vase left unbroken  
-No one hurt.  
-Everything smashed down violently.  
-Claw marks = Werewolf? = New pack?  
-SYMBOL - Clue? 

She read all that, carefully looking at each word. ‘Werewolf’ was the one that piqued her interest. That word again. Catori couldn’t bring herself to think that werewolves actually existed. That humans that shape shifted into wolves was something that actually happened. There was no way. It had to be a code word for something.  
But apparently, the person who broke into the gallery, whoever it was, had been very violent, inhuman almost. It seemed like all the valuable things as well as the glass cabinets had been fiercely broken. And only a vase survived all that destruction.  
Beside the circled word ‘symbol’ was an arrow that linked a symbol to it.  
A triquetra.  
*  
Five more minutes and that Literature class would give way to the so awaited class break. Vanessa had already ended the lesson and was now taking attendance.  
Hudson, Lucy. Present.  
McCall, Scott. Present.  
Reed, Taylor. Present.  
Stilinski, Stiles. Absent.  
Tate, Malia. Present.  
Thomas, Leslie. Absent.  
Waters, George. Absent.  
“George Waters is absent” Vanessa mumbled dryly, pursing her lips together. “Figures”  
Catori frowned at the comment, because George seemed to be a dedicated student. But the teacher honestly seemed to be a bit unstable, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the woman held a grudge against him just because.  
Just as she was writing down his absence, the bell rang and everyone walked out of the classroom.  
Calmly, Catori gathered her stuff to leave. As she did, she wondered why Stiles, who was actually in the building, didn’t attend the lesson. Apparently, he was busy, whatever he was doing. Busy like Scott. Couldn’t be a coincidence.  
The girl stood up from her seat and was about to walk into the hallway when the teacher called her.  
“Catori” Vanessa watched her, apparently irritated.  
“Yes?”  
“Detention”  
“What, why?!” The girl exclaimed, outraged by such sudden injustice.  
“Because you’ve been reading that notebook all lesson, whatever it is about, and haven’t been paying attention” Vanessa placed a hand on her hip and observed her sternly.  
“But…”  
“Now!”  
Catori sighed and complied in spite of herself. She had been so close to leaving that class day behind and leaving…  
But now she had to spend another hour at detention. Just great.  
*  
At least it was Mr. Yukimura who was in the classroom during detention. It wouldn’t be so unbearable.  
“Hello…” Catori feebly said as she plopped down in a chair on the first row.  
“Is it only you today?” The man asked her, but she just shrugged as she didn’t know.  
The teacher sat down in the teacher’s desk and eyed his paper warily.  
Absently minded, Catori opened the notebook again and intently looked through the pages. What she saw next left her startled as her observed the sloppy drawings and notes on the paper.  
Hairy features. Fangs. Claws. Something called wolfsbane. Wild eyes colored red, gold or blue.  
“Werewolf…” Catori whispered, so low that she could barely hear her own voice.  
She didn’t want to believe it at first when she heard the word at the police station. She had tried to convince herself that it had been a code that meant something else. But it meant literally what it seemed. A human person that could shift into a wolf-like creature. Even if it appeared to be impossible and only true in myths and fiction.  
With shaky hands, she turned the page and investigated further.  
_**Banshee.** Psychic. Predicts death. Scream._  
Catori felt distressed with that discovery. All those supernatural creatures existed…  
Another page, another different creature.  
_**Kitsune.** Japanese fox. Longevity. Healing. _  
“Stiles!” Mr. Yukimura’s voice startled her so much, bringing her out of her thoughts, that she jumped in her seat. “Late to detention too, I see”  
“Sorry” The boy had walked into the classroom. “I lost my notebook and can’t find it anywhere”  
Catori heard the voices in the distance as her mind was still too busy trying to let all that new information sink in.  
Was that what had everyone so worried? The supernatural creatures? Was that why Lydia said a lot of crazy things happened in Beacon Hills? Why Stiles was so suspicious of her and new people?  
Making her jump out of her skin, a skinny veiny hand quickly closed the notebook and snatched it away from me.  
“You had it!” Stiles said accusingly, throwing her an intense glare.  
If he was usually sulky, then he was just on edge. But for once, Catori didn’t feel witty enough to do something to annoy him or sass him back.  
“Is this all real?” Was all she managed to stumble out.  
For a long moment, the boy stared back at her. His caramel brown eyes looked worriedly at Catori, his brow creased in apprehension.  
Many emotions flooded him at once. Still concern because of what she now knew about. Pity because he knew how hard it was to find out all those scary things actually existed. Annoyance because she was curious enough to fiddle with it instead of just giving it back to him and not reading it.  
“You’re too nosy” He said in the end, retrieving his notebook and hiding it on his bag so it would be out of her reach.  
Stiles turned his back to her and refused to even look at her again.  
The girl was too shocked to notice his cranky mood. She just stared at a blank spot on the wall as her mind filled with so many different thoughts yet none at once.  
*  
Instead of heading back home after class, Catori decided to visit the museum first.  
She had ignored Scott, Stiles, Kira, Lydia and Liam. Honestly, the girl didn’t feel like talking to any of them. Not only that, but a strong need of arriving to the gallery moved her as if the place was luring her. She needed answers and she would get them.  
Her head burned with thousands of thoughts and with none at the same time. It felt like her weary mind distracted her from the outside world.  
Trying to put the supernatural subject aside, she focused on the case of the robbery at the museum. In Stiles’ notebook, one specific symbol had been drawn in a page, as if it were a crucial clue. Catori knew that symbol. It was a triquetra. And she had seen it somewhere, which happened to be the museum.  
Despite not knowing anything at all about the triquetra except for the fact that it was called like that and it was Celtic, she knew the answers were there. If Minerva was there, that was.  
Before she came into the gallery, Catori took a quick look inside through the windows. There was the young woman, cleaning the mess that the museum had turned into after the incident.  
Catori took a hesitant step forward, almost afraid to find out more about it. But she was determined, so she took a deep breath and opened the door.  
“Sorry, we’re closed!” Minerva said when she heard the door, not bothering to look in that direction.  
“It’s me, Catori” She told her, peeking her head at the door waiting for a response. “I just wanted to ask you something”  
“Come in…” Minerva sighed heavily, obviously exhausted, and nodded.  
Catori smiled a little, grateful. She knew the last thing the poor girl felt like doing was answering the questions of a curious and annoying teenager after going through all that odyssey.  
“You know a lot about the museum, right?” She started carefully, coming in and approaching her so she could hear what she was about to say.  
“That’s right, what do you want to know?”  
“What can you tell me about the triquetra?”  
Minerva frowned in concentration and absently looked up, trying to recall everything she could about it.  
“That’s the symbol that was in a vase, in the cabinets over there, isn’t it?” When Minerva pointed at the other end of the room, Catori nodded.  
“Precisely”  
*  
Plopping down on her cozy bed, Catori huffed tiredly.  
What Minerva told her about the triquetra symbol worried her. And more knowing that supernatural creatures, most likely evil, were out there.  
Her eyes were closing themselves from pure exhaustion. That day had been mentally and emotionally exhausting, and she had earned a well-deserved and long sleep. Still, she couldn’t wait until the next day. She had to talk with Scott about the symbol, tell her what she knew.  
Catori could help them.


	7. Bad Feeling

Catori couldn’t move, even if she forced every fiber of her paralyzed body to do so. She had to help him! His figure fell heavily on the cemented ground as he felt weak. She stood there in shock, observing him, and looked around the empty streets for help.  
Scott lied motionless on the ground, his face bearing an obvious expression of pain and suffering. He looked pale, and his skin was covered in sweat. It seemed like something was hurting him, but she didn’t know what. With a growl like complaint, he turned on his back and grimaced again.   
The girl closed her eyes tight, trying to make the anguishing pressure in her chest to go away. She couldn’t move, and even if she could she had no idea how to help him. There was nothing she could do. No matter how much it pained her to see Scott like that.   
Opening her eyes and breathing heavily, she found herself suddenly back in high school. Stiles was by herself in the long corridors. The rest of the students had left long ago.   
A familiar but strange unsettling feeling felt heavy like lead in her stomach. Catori opened her mouth to tell him something, let him know that something was odd. But before she could utter any words, the windows exploded. Shatters of glass flew everywhere.  
Stiles screamt, and she could see a splatter of crimson coming from where he was standing. Then she screamt.  
Her room was suddenly before her, the same as usual.  
Catori’s chest quickly went up and down with ragged breaths as she tried to give a rest to her confused brain.  
It had been a dream. Just another one of her nightmares.  
After the robbery and finding out about the existence of the supernatural, it was not strange that she had one.  
Resting her shaky hands against her sweaty face, she noticed her eyes were wet. That stupid dream had made her cry. It had been so realistic and anguishing… Scott and Stiles ended up badly hurt. And she couldn’t do anything to save them.  
Sighing to force some air into her lungs, she stood up from her bed.  
Talking about Scott and Stiles, she had something to tell them and so she hurried to go to high school.  
*  
Catori nervously chewed on her fingernails as she waited on the corridor of the high school building, expecting to run into Stiles sooner or later.  
It was a different day in class because, for starters, she didn’t have any intention on attending none of them. Not for any subject.  
The case involving the museum robbery and the triquetra seemed far too important to ignore. She just couldn’t bring herself to go to class like any other day and pretend like nothing had happened while werewolves roamed around freely, stealing vases with mysterious symbols in them.  
And less since she felt herself being involved in it, it felt personal since it had been the gallery her mother worked at which had been robbed. It was her own mom who could have died.  
To deepen her interest on the whole thing, her intuition told her there was more to it. And her intuition never failed her. All that, along with her immense curiosity seemed enough for her to carry on with her plan.  
Finally, she saw a nervous and fidgety looking boy turning the corner to walk along the corridor she was in, leaning against her locker.  
The girl quickly distanced herself from the wall and ran to Stiles.  
“We need to talk” She simply said, walking with him as her heart sped up in expectation.   
“What?” He eyed her up and down, shocked that she was even speaking to him voluntarily.  
“It’s about the notebook and about the robbery-“ She was about to keep on talking to explain everything to him when Stiles interrupted her.  
“Look, Catori” He licked his lips, frustrated. “I know you’re bothered by it because your mom was on it too…”  
“So?” Annoyed, she crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him. Her glance obviously dared him to reject her.  
“So… I get it… But it’s not your business, so forget about it” Done with the conversation, he walked faster to leave her behind.  
“You don’t understand!” She jogged to catch up with him as they exited the building and reached the parking lot. “I can help!”  
Skeptical, Stiles let out a sarcastic chuckle.  
“I doubt it”  
Tired because her shorter legs couldn’t keep up with his pace, she stayed behind. For a few seconds, she observed his back as he moved along trying to reach his beloved Jeep.  
“I saw the symbol, and I know what it is!” She ventured, hoping that it would pique his interest.  
Stopping dead in his tracks, Stiles froze in place. The boy seemed to think about it for a moment, his shoulders stiff, before he turned around to face her again.  
“You what?” He squinted his eyes as he followed her every move whilst she approached him again.  
“It’s a Celtic symbol called triquetra” A smug smirk formed on her lips as she proudly spoke. “And I can tell you all about it”   
Pursing his lips tightly together, his caramel brown eyes fixed on her. His fingers twitched in his hand.  
“We could use a little help…” Stiles was obviously not too keen of accepting her help, but he had no other choice.  
Ever since they found that clue, they had been trying to know what that symbol was. But they had no idea, and it was crucial that they found out what it meant. Hopefully, knowing about it would lead them to their next clue.  
“Great, tell me where Scott it” The girl told him restlessly. “I’ll tell him all about it”  
“No” The Stilinski boy replied before she had even finished speaking. “I mean…”  
“Why not?”  
“I don’t know where Scott is” He quickly shook his head. “Just tell me, I’ll pass it on to him”  
“But I want to help” That day, she wasn’t up to being sarcastic or rude to him. She just didn’t have the energy.  
“And you do, I promise I’ll tell him you were the one that gave me the info”   
Stiles seemed genuine in his oath, so with a resigned sigh, Catori nodded. She took a second to gather up the information and organize her thoughts to explain everything to him.  
Remembering Minerva’s words, she left out a few facts that she told her. Facts that probably weren’t all that useful but that the girl, being so nerdy and cultured, told her nonetheless.  
Like that it originally meant ‘triangle’ and was used to refer to various three-cornered shapes. Or that it was also known as a ‘trinity knot’ and the design is used as a religious symbol adapted from ancient Celtic images by Christianity. And that it was similar to Odin's symbol, the valknut.  
Instead, she told him those things that seemed more important.  
“It’s a trinity knot” She decided to repeat those words to make her point. “Kinda like the triskelion”  
“Alright…” Stiles licked his lips impatiently and held one hand on his waist, listening intently to what she had to say.  
“It doesn’t have one specific meaning. It can allude to many things, many trio principles, like… mind, body, soul. Or past, present, future. Or creation, perseveration and destruction…” She made a hand gesture, implying that there were many others.  
“Alpha, beta, omega…” Although he mumbled the words, she could hear them clearly. Not that they had any meaning for her at all.  
“What?”  
“So it’s basically like the triskelion, right?” He answered instead, pretending that he didn’t say those three words nor that she heard.  
Catori felt glad to have asked Minerva that same thing. Because she saw no difference between the two symbols. Why use one when the other could be used instead, if they were the same? But they weren’t.  
“They’re similar, but have their differences” Gesticulating a lot with her hands to make her point, Catori continued. “The triskelion means growth, evolution, chronology. That’s why the three arms come from the same spot”  
“So?”  
“So, the triquetra doesn’t, because it just shows a connection between them. Unlike the triskelion, one doesn’t lead to the other. They just belong in the same group, but can’t pass from one another”  
“Got it” He clicked his fingers and already took a step back, fidgeting as he began to walk away. He didn’t thank her.  
Catori stood there awkwardly for a moment before she turned around, prepared to go back from where she came.  
“Hey…” Before he walked away, Stiles stopped to glance at her one last time. “You look a little shaken up, everything okay?”  
Catori’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.   
“Do you actually care?”  
A part of her wanted to vent to him, tell him that horrible images of what happened in a terrifying nightmare haunted her. But then she would probably have to admit that it was about them, and she wasn’t up to the embarrassment. Besides, why would she tell something so personal to someone that disliked her so much? He would only mock her or shrug it off.  
“I just…” He squinted his eyes and pursed his lips together, not really knowing what to answer. “I was just wondering, I noticed you look… distraught”  
“I’ll be fine” The girl turned around abruptly, trying to cut the contact at once. Before she left, however, she looked over her shoulder just like he had done a moment ago. “Just tell Scott about the triquetra”  
And she left.  
Stiles couldn’t bring himself to move for a few seconds. For whatever reason, he felt restless seeing how upset she looked. And leaving her alone just like that.  
*  
Lydia tried to talk to Catori, even after she replied that she wasn’t up for a chat. The redhead still tried but had to give up eventually once she noticed Catori’s head was far away from their conversation.  
The girl just sat outside, absently feeling how the wind messed up her long brown hair as she bit her nails without noticing. A gnawing feeling had settled in her stomach and wouldn’t leave her alone. And despite the fact that she knew it was just because of the disturbing images etched on her brain ever since that dream, she couldn’t help but to be pensive and upset.  
It just felt like everything could go wrong all of a sudden. Just like it had gone wrong before, with the museum robbery. But… worse. If something supernatural such as a werewolf had caused that before, why couldn’t it happen again? Who said they were safe? Who said it wouldn’t be even more horrible next time?  
Just as that thought occupied her mind, a hand was heavily placed on her shoulder. Catori had to bit hard on her bottom lip to keep herself from screaming. Still, she flailed around, startled.  
She had been too distracted to notice the whole gang in front of her.   
Scott let his hand linger on her as his brown eyes observed her.  
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you” He apologized awkwardly.  
“You didn’t, you just startled me” Pretending her heart didn’t speed up, she played it cool. “What’s up?”  
Scott looked behind him to Stiles, Lydia, Liam and Kira before glancing back at Catori. Stiles crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged one shoulder lazily. Lydia casually plopped down next to her and elegantly crossed her legs.  
“Stiles told us you know” It wasn’t necessary to specify, Catori knew what she was talking about.  
“And he told me you were the one that knew about the triquetra” Scott smiled, his brown puppy eyes lighting up as they fell on her. “Thank you”  
Despite her initial restlessness, it warmed her heart to know all of them were there next to her. That they all were somewhat fond of the new girl.  
Well, except for Stiles. Although he had kept his promise of telling Scott it was her information and not his own. That was nice of him.  
The group stared at her expectantly, which annoyed her.   
“What?” She snapped, sending them weird glances back.  
“Aren’t you freaked out?” Kira asked her, surprised.  
“Yeah” Liam added, nodding vehemently. “I was pretty freaked out when I found out”  
Catori noticed Stiles’ squinty eyes on her as he crossed his arms over his chest again, tighter this time. Yet she also noticed Lydia’s curious stare and Scott affable expression that meant to cheer her up.  
“I’m spooked, yeah” The girl shrugged, looking down as to avoid their eyes. “I actually have a really bad feeling about it all”  
Stiles let out a sarcastic laugh, and Lydia softly nudged him.  
“It’s not unusual” Scott grinned, making her look up briefly. “You just found out all these scary things exist”  
“No” Catori clicked her tongue, trying to explain herself properly. “You don’t understand. The robbery, the werewolves, the triquetra…”  
Flashing images of her nightmare made her grimace as she looked at the two boys that had been hurt in her dreams. She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to hide the sudden shudder that took over her spine.  
“What about it?”   
“I don’t know…” Catori frowned, slightly apprehensive. She felt vulnerable almost, which she hated. “I just have a bad feeling, that’s all”   
Stiles sighed loudly, catching her attention.  
“For the record, I have it too…” Sending her a cryptic glare, he added. “But I still don’t like you”  
“Figures” Catori replied, making a face.  
“Well” Scott warmly placed a hand on her arm. “You have us now, but it’s probably nothing anyway”  
“Us?” Stiles repeated, sticking his head out like a bird. “She has us, what does that mean?”   
They looked at each other, not batting an eye, until Scott frowned.  
“She can hang out with us” The boy replied simply.  
Many feelings rushed over Catori, making her feel heavy and strange. Most of them were contradictory.  
She felt grateful and happy that they didn’t mind officially accepting her in their little gang, since she had already grown fond of most of them. Still, many doubts isolated her with sad thoughts.  
What happened if she had to leave them again? She would just have to go over all that suffering she knew so well all over again. She would have to say goodbye to them, no matter how great Beacon Hills had seemed once they moved, no matter how different it looked from her previous cities. If they left again, it would be for nothing.  
Catori took a look at each one of them again. When a small smile had snuck up on her face without her realizing, she knew. Maybe it was worth it either way.  
Stiles opened his mouth wide and then closed it tight with a pout.  
“What?!” Fed up, Stiles grabbed his friend’s arm and dragged him along to have a private chat with him.  
Kira awkwardly smiled at the girl, trying to pretend that Stiles was not bothered by Catori’s presence. Liam tried to send friendliness through his blue eyes as well whilst he glanced at her.  
Too tired to put up with any of that, Catori stood up.  
“Where are you going?” Lydia stopped her, placing a gentle hand on her arm. Catori softly swatted her away.  
“I need to be alone” She lowly mumbled, making an effort to push away the disturbing reminders of the nightmare that arrived to her head.  
She just left while Scott and Stiles continued to talk. The restless boy threw preoccupied glances towards her as he widely gesticulated to accompany his words. He watched her walk away. But Scott obviously disagreed, by the look on his face.  
For once, Catori partially sided with Stilinski. Even though she knew herself perfectly and was aware that she was no threat to them at all.  
But Scott, for whatever the reason, was ready to call her a friend, to let her into their circle and have her around constantly. Despite the fact that they barely knew each other and for all they knew she could have second intentions even if she actually didn’t.  
What did Scott see on her to like her so much?  
So Stiles was worried, determined to his mission of protecting his friends. Even if there was a tiny change on his behavior, because when he glanced at her there was a hint of sympathy, of kindness. She was obviously scared, and she didn’t seem all that horrible. He felt bad for her despite it all.  
Stiles was definitely not a jerk. Even if he was a jerk with her.   
*  
Making an inhumane effort, Catori managed to go to History Class. Just because, out of all the teachers, Mr. Yukimura’s classes weren’t that boring and he wasn’t as awful.  
But after that, Catori exited the building. She knew that she had no energies to remain in that place for another second more. All she wanted to do was go home and forget about everything, curl up under the covers.  
Just as she left the parking lot behind, her phone vibrated and rang loudly in her pocket. Rolling her eyes tiredly, she stopped in the middle of the pavement and took it out to check the notifications on the screen. She had a new text message, so she opened it up.  
‘Hey, Catori! It’s Scott. If you want to help us and find out more about the robbery, we will be looking into it today, all of us. You can come by, I’ll send you the address.’  
Down under the message there was a location.  
Not moving from her spot and absently observing the phone still, the girl thought about it. She meditated all the pros and cons. What would she do?  
*  
The whole pack was gathered in Derek’s loft, debating theories and plans to figure out what the hell was happening in Beacon Hills once and for all.  
And since Derek had been trying to collect information about a possible new pack, they all were there to listen to what he had to say.  
Scott briefly looked over his shoulder as they all spoke, a mess of voices talking over each other as they all provided their ideas.  
The heavy metal door had been left open, just in case Catori decided to show up. Sadly though, Scott had a feeling she wouldn’t come.   
Lately she had been going through a lot, and Stiles’ attitude didn’t help to make her feel welcome. Besides, she appeared to be especially out of it that day.  
He looked at his friend, who stood next to him, yet holding his silver bat. When they asked, Stiles replied that he had brought it just in case. Just like Catori’s, his bad feeling wouldn’t go away.   
Scott noticed his friend got tense of a sudden, so he turned around to look at him. A squeak and a yelp were heard as Stiles jumped back and put his silver bat up, luckily for Catori putting it down before he could hit her.  
“Alright, I’ve had enough!” Stiles took a step and faced her. “Stop following us around, you hear?”  
Lydia amusedly huffed as everyone got quiet. He spoke like Catori wouldn’t stop sneaking up on them.  
“It’s okay, I told her to come” Scott explained quickly.  
“Why would you do that?” Stiles narrowed his eyelids and stared at his friend in confusion.  
“Because-“ Before his friend could reply, they were arguing once again.  
“Do you have a problem with me?” Catori, as fierce as ever to everyone’s surprise, dared Stiles to defy her by taking a step closer to him. She was having a bad day, and she got fed up with putting up with his accusations.   
“Yes I do, I don’t trust you” Stiles simply said, still believing that she might be a dangerous creature of some sort or someone allied with one of them. He sent her a hard glance that apparently didn’t fluster her.  
“Too bad, but I’m here for Scott, not for you”  
“Well, I talk for Scott when I say… get out”  
“Want me to go? Make me” She smirked smugly, determined to show him that she wasn’t scared of him in the least.  
“Great” He grabbed her arm tightly and with determination. “It’s enough that you are supposed to hang out with us to on top of all have you here for important stuff like this”

“Stop it, you two” Scott meddled in by separating them from each other as they were so close their noses almost touched.  
Reluctantly, they complied, still throwing death glares at each other.  
“Who are you?” A grumpy man with the intense green eyes piped up, making his deep voice echo around the loft. The girl remembered seeing him talking to Scott the other day.  
“Catori” She replied bashfully, slightly intimidated by him.  
“This is Derek” Mumbled Scott, earning a very annoyed look from him.  
Trying to break the ice and get over the awkwardness, the girl piped up.  
“So why did you ask me to come?”   
“I wanted you to know about what’s going on” Scott motioned for her to get closer and felt everyone’s eyes on her as she joined the group.  
Derek was still staring at Scott, wondering if it was safe to talk about it in front of her. Scott felt his eyes on him and so nodded at him for confirmation. Derek sighed and kept talking, ignoring Stiles’ incredulous glares and gestures.  
“What attacked the museum was definitely a werewolf” The grumpy man crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Scott as he talked. “And I think he or she belongs into a new pack”  
“There’s a new pack of werewolves in Beacon Hills?” Lydia asked, trying to make sure she understood correctly.  
“Yup” Stiles replied for Derek. “And apparently, they’re evil. So… Yay…”  
Catori glanced from one to another, wondering if those meet ups were always like that. By the look on their faces, it was. Debating about supernatural creatures like it was something completely ordinary, like they were more used to it than to high school.  
“So why did they rob the museum?” Liam asked, frowning as he fixed his blue eyes on Derek.  
“I don’t know…”  
“But what about the triquetra on the vase then?” Scott said, briefly looking at the girl. “What Catori told us about it?”  
Catori was still surprised to see that Stiles had indeed kept his promise. He told Scott about the triquetra, and he told him it was her who knew all that and not him.  
Derek just held the boy’s gaze in silence. His eyes spoke for him: he still had nothing.  
“Apparently that symbol has many meanings” Kira added something to the conversation. “We can’t know why they left that vase unbroken without knowing the specific meaning we’re looking for”  
“Great, so basically an unknown pack of likely psychotic murderous werewolves is interested in a powerful symbol we know nothing about” The Stilinski boy pursed his lips together in annoyance. “Just to summarize, huh? Awesome”   
The rest of them stayed quiet in response to his sarcasm, so Catori rolled her eyes to herself.  
“Cool, guys, thanks for the chat” Appearing to be calm but yet feeling restless, she began to walk out.  
“Where are you going?” Stiles tried to stop her.  
“Get off my case already, will you?” She kept on walking, but he sternly held her arm to keep her from taking another step.  
A sudden shudder took over her and she closed her eyes tight. When she did, those images from her nightmare flashed before her eyes again, clear as day.   
Fed up and too tired again to put up with him, Catori rolled her eyes.  
“Stilinski…” She began, but he interrupted her, distrusting her as usual.  
Stiles squinted his eyes with that suspicious glare of his that Catori knew so well and licked his lips before he began talking.  
“Now that you know what we’re doing, you leave” He crossed his arms and smirked a little. “That’s suspicious”  
“What are you saying, you nerd?” The girl placed a sassy hand on her waist, giving him a warning look.  
“Are you with the bad guys?”  
Catori shook her head tiredly and in disbelief.  
“Yes, I’m a freaking spy, you got me” Rolling her eyes one last time before she turned around, leaving him there gawking at her.  
*  
With a huge sigh that slightly eased her apprehension, Catori plopped down on a bench.  
After that meet up with Scott and his gang, her restlessness was only doubled. That bad feeling of hers didn’t go away and, in fact, it only seemed to grow stronger as her apprehensiveness did too. As she realized she did have reasons to feel like that, that it wasn’t only in her head. The danger was very real.  
For a few hours, she had been wandering around the city, not really paying attention to where she walked or how dark it was getting.   
Out of nowhere, an eerie feeling shook her up. She looked around, almost sensing danger.  
Just a second before a sharp claw violently scratched her face, she could see a pair of golden eyes shining under the light of the street lamps.   
They belonged to an animal like creature that she identified as a werewolf even if she recognized those human features.  
It was her classmate George.


	8. Strange Things

Not even the warm and thick blanket that they put over her shoulders could stop Catori from shaking. She was still shaking after Parrish put his jacket over her too. And the fact that she knew her attacker made it all more disturbing.  
“Are you sure you don’t want me to call your mother? She should know what happened to you” Parrish startled the girl even though he tried to announce himself as he approached her again.  
But Catori tried to hide that detail and glanced at him gravely.  
“I’ll be fine, she… she doesn’t have to know” The last thing she wanted was for her mom to find out her daughter was attacked and go into panic mode after what happened just a few days ago at the museum.  
“Well, everything is going to be alright” Parrish observed her with kind eyes and showed her a soft comforting smile. “Okay? We’ll find him”  
Catori didn’t want to say anything about a werewolf attacking her just in case, even if Sheriff Stilinski apparently was aware of the existence of supernatural creatures. So instead she told everyone she didn’t see her attacker, blaming it on the shock and fear.  
“Yeah” She replied simply, nodding her head.  
“Good, try to relax, you’re safe now” Very briefly, he friendly rubbed her arm. “And call me if you need anything”  
Again, Catori nodded. Finally, Parrish turned around and proceeded to go back to his desk. Once alone, she let out a breath that had been stuck in her chest the whole time.   
In that exact moment, Stiles barged in hurriedly and ran to his dad’s office, not even glancing at her. Scott walked in after him, but unlike his friend, he did notice Catori and immediately walked over to her.  
“You okay?” He worriedly urged the girl, sitting next to her and restlessly fixing his warm brown eyes over her face.  
Catori felt too shaken up to reply, afraid that her voice would crack and break her apparent strong and stubborn demeanor, so she just nodded.  
She saw how he still frowned in concern and was thinking of a way to show him she was okay –even if she wasn’t really feeling too safe or okay at all in that moment –when something cut her line of thought.  
The girl visibly jumped in fear as a loud voice exclaimed something from the other room.  
“They’re killing those girls! To death!” Of course, it was Stiles.  
Still very scared and trying to find some comfort in her new friend Scott, Catori glanced at him.  
“Is h-he talking about the missing girls?” As she had imagined, her voice came out weak and terrified.  
Feeling terrible and hating to see her like that, Scott internally swore his best friend and actually threw an annoyed glare to the room even if Stiles couldn’t see him.  
“Yeah…” He replied reluctantly, not really wanting to lie, but still trying to soften it for her. “After a few days they just… appear”  
A frightening thought arrived to her mind.  
What if they, whoever they were, were targeting girls? What if she was another one of their targets? What if werewolves were implied on that too? George was definitely a werewolf when he attacked her.  
Catori had to take a deep breath as she felt slightly dizzy all of a sudden.  
“Sheriff Stilinski is working on it, and we’re trying to help him” Scott noticed her unwell, because he was obviously trying to soothe her anguish.  
Yet again, the girl nodded in acknowledgment. Even if she was too absent and scared to actually hear him.  
The door to the Sheriff’s office then opened and Stiles walked out.  
“Scott, my dad wants to talk to you”   
The boy nodded and stood up, leaving a startled and visibly scared Catori alone with the younger Stilinski. Just like he had just noticed the girl was there, Stiles’ eyes happened to fall over her and remained there. She then glanced back at him. He was staring at her in a strange way.  
“What?” Catori asked him, glancing back at him.  
“You’re shaking” He observed, sitting next to her awkwardly.  
The girl didn’t reply, she just stared at him in awe, and more when he rubbed his hands against her arms to bring her warmth. He knew she wasn’t cold. Stiles was perfectly aware that she was so frightened that her natural body response was to start shaking, and he wanted to make her feel better, he could read in her eyes how frightened she was.  
“Talk about a bad feeling, huh?” For the first time since they met, his voice was suddenly… warm.  
Catori didn’t reply.   
“You saw him, didn’t you?” Stiles asked her, finally making her look back at him instead of staring in shock at a random spot in the floor. “My dad told me you testified that you were too scared to actually see who it was”  
Afraid to answer, she just gulped and looked back at that spot in the ground.  
“Do we know them?” The boy frowned in apprehension, still observing her.  
She wouldn’t stop shaking under the blanket, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. Yet Catori nodded to his question.  
“A werewolf?” Another head nod.  
Taking a deep breath, she glanced at him. Her green eyes were open wide, and he could read such a wide range of emotions in them. Commotion, fear, confusion, curiosity, awe.  
“George” Catori made a pause. “He’s… he’s a werewolf”  
Stiles’ eyes went wide in shock.  
“G... George? Our-our classmate?” He narrowed his eyes, puzzled.  
“Yeah, George”  
“And he attacked you” He stated in an odd way.  
Catori, still freaking out and too shaken up to remain calm, threw him a death glare. Usually she would roll her eyes at him and shrug it off, but not that moment.  
“What do you mean by that? What’s that tone?”  
“I mean that from all the people he attacked you, just when there’s a very similar case” Stiles observed, hinting that the attack hadn’t been an accident. “There’s a pattern, and it’s the young girls”  
“What the hell are you talking about, Stilinski?” Catori exclaimed, feeling how on top of shaking she started feeling hot with anger.  
”You’re lucky that he just attacked you and you didn’t disappear” Stiles mumbled, just pointing out the facts. “All the other girls went missing and you’re here-”  
The girl stood up, too restless to be sitting anymore.  
”So you wanted me to go missing as well, is that it?” Even if her body kept nervously shaking, she threw all those layers off her as the blood was boiling in her veins. She was done putting up with him.  
”No, I didn’t say that!” Frustrated, Stiles shook his head. “Just that you’re lucky because-”  
“Yeah, that has to mean that I’m evil, right?” Catori felt like she couldn’t stop herself, she was at the verge of a nervous breakdown. Too many things were happening too quickly. And all at once.  
“Calm down!” Stiles opened his eyes wide in surprise. “I know you’re freaking out, but I didn’t mean it like that!”  
“What’s going on here?” Lydia’s voice filled Catori with a slight feeling of safety and relief.   
The redhead felt fortunate that she had just arrived after finding out the news. She interrupted them just at the right time.   
“Stilinski is-”  
“I’m not doing anything!” He rushed to say, defending himself.  
Familiar with their enmity, Lydia decided to intervene. She saw both sides, knowing Stiles probably didn’t mean to upset her but also being aware of the fact that Catori wasn’t herself and had just gone through a traumatic event.  
“She’s upset, okay? Just leave her alone” As the redhead tried to approach Catori, they both kept mumbling things to each other.  
“I swear, I didn’t mean to say anything, I was just pointing it out to make her feel better and....”  
“He hates me and thinks I’m working with the person who attacked me, it’s insane!”  
“Okay, let’s get you home” Lydia dedicated Stiles an apologetic look as she put an arm over her shoulders and walked her away from the police station.  
”I was just trying to comfort her, to-” He clicked his tongue in annoyance when he realized it was useless since they were already at the door. “I try to be nice to her and this is what I get”  
He sighed to himself and placed his hands on his hips, standing in the spot for a moment. Then he rolled his eyes tiredly and went back with Scott and the Sheriff.  
*  
A few hours had passed. They silently decided not to talk about the attack and instead pretend like it never happened. It was the best way to calm Catori, and it was working.  
Lydia calmly walked around the room. She stopped at the wardrobe and observed her clothes.  
“If you want to go shopping let me know” Lydia turned to her with a small smile on her face.  
“It’s not that I don’t appreciate your company, but…” Catori piped up, sitting up in the bed and tilting her head to glance at her. “Why are you here? Did Scott send you?”  
“I feel offended” Lydia replied, chuckling. “Can’t I come to check on you on my own?”  
“Of course, but…” Catori managed a soft smile. “I know Scott”  
“You and me both, sweetheart” Lydia said, pulling out her phone from her pocket. “He’ll be arriving soon”  
“Figures…”  
For a few minutes, a silence settled in the room. The tension grew until they piped up again.  
“You look… distracted” Catori pointed out, watching how Lydia’s green eyes wandered around even if they didn’t seem to watch anything.  
“Yeah…” Noticing her friend had spoken to her, the redhead got back to reality. “You know this feeling you get when something happens? Being alert and not feeling completely safe?”  
Catori frowned, hating to see Lydia feel unsafe, but nodded nonetheless.  
“In fact…” She began to say without thinking, but cut herself when she realized what she was about to say.  
“What?” Lydia inquired, glancing in her direction and questioning her with her eyes.  
Catori sighed, already too restless to keep that stupid secret. Besides, she trusted Lydia. Her instinct told her she was okay, something within her assured they were similar, more than she imagined.  
“I’ve been having nightmares where Scott and Stiles get hurt” Catori averted her gaze from her friend, embarrassed to be affected by silly dreams. “And I’ve been feeling restless ever since, they’re so… vivid…”  
“Really?”   
“Yeah… Almost like they’re not just dreams, like… those things will actually happen…”   
Suddenly something took over Catori.   
That feeling that you get when you’re about to get hit by something and you brace yourself for the impact. Even though nothing was there to hit her, yet that feeling remained strong.  
Her nightmare seemed to haunt her at that moment more than ever. She could remember Scott lying on the ground, bloody and hurt. And she could remember every little detail about it.  
“Scott…” Catori whispered, scared, holding her chest in apprehension and staring at a random spot in front of her.  
“What is it?”   
“Lydia, we have to help Scott” The girl stood up and urgently held her arm, worried. “He’s in danger, I… I just know it!”  
“This is not just because of your nightmare, is it?” Even though Lydia looked worried, she seemed to believe her.  
“No, I…” Catori struggled to explain how she was feeling at that moment, but since she couldn’t she just clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Just trust me!”  
“Seems like I’m not the only one having a bad feeling about Scott…”  
“You believe me?”  
Lydia nodded energetically and pursed her lips together as she took a few seconds to think.  
“You call Stiles, I’m gonna gather Derek and everyone I can and try to find him” Lydia was already heading towards the door, but her friend stopped her.  
“Call Stiles? I can’t just call that nerd!”  
“Why not? He needs to know, Catori!”  
Knowing she was right and that his best friend should know, the girl nodded in spite of herself.  
“But I don’t have his phone number!”  
Annoyed, Lydia rolled her eyes and fiddled with her phone for a while.  
“Now you do, I sent it to you” The redhead told her. “If we find Scott, I’ll call you”  
That said, Lydia ran away and left her standing alone in the room. Catori heaved a big sigh, not liking the situation one bit.  
First of all, she hated the idea that the kind puppy that was Scott could be in danger, hurt or something worse. And second of all, she hated that she had to call Stilinski herself after all their moody and rude interactions. Not to mention that Scott’s situation would probably have something to do with Catori herself in Stiles’ eyes.  
Resigning herself because she was aware of the fact that the most important thing was Scott, she shook her head to hush those thoughts away and glanced at her phone. Lydia’s text included Stiles’ phone, she just had to dial it.  
Taking a deep breath, she did so and put her cell next to her ear. After a few seconds, Stiles picked up.  
“Hello?”  
“Stilinski!”  
“Who is this?”  
“It’s Catori, I-I…”   
“What? How the hell did you get my number?”  
“Listen, this is important, it’s Scott… he…” Too agitated to find the right words, she found herself stuttering.  
“What’s wrong with him?” Stiles then dropped his usual rude and sarcastic attitude towards her and became concerned. “Is he alright?”  
“I don’t know…! He’s… Lydia… ugh” Catori felt frustrated because she couldn’t really tell him she was making all that fuzz over a simple nightmare and a silly intuition.  
“Okay, calm down, tell me where you are”   
“In my place, it’s...”   
“Fine, stay put, I’ll be there in a moment”  
Then he hung up unexpectedly.   
*  
It took at least a half an hour in which they restlessly talked and argued, but Catori could finally explain to Stiles what was going on. He seemed to be more convinced about Scott being in danger only after Catori mentioned that Lydia believed her since she appeared to have a similar bad feeling.  
Lydia herself called her later and told them they had managed to find Scott. He was hurt, badly hurt. Stiles didn’t hesitate to voice his suspicions of her again as they rode in his Jeep. It was an awkward and tense ride.  
When they arrived and saw everything, they froze.  
Derek was kneeling in the ground, holding a bloody and beat up Scott up. Liam, Kira and Malia watched him with concern as Lydia observed him, covering her mouth in horror.  
“Scott!” While Catori found that image so shocking that she couldn’t even move, Stiles ran to his friend’s aid. “What happened?!”  
“A whole pack attacked him” Derek told them eerily. “They cornered him, he was outnumbered”  
“Why? And whose pack?” Stiles inquired restlessly, fidgeting around and quickly looking from one person to the other.  
“We don’t know” Liam replied lowly, still fazed by the image of his half-conscious friend.  
Stiles threw Catori a dirty look, but she was too dazed to notice. There it was, the exact image from her nightmare. And it felt ten times worse than when she was dreaming, because that time it was for real.  
The boy was covered in sweat as his expression was distorted by pain, and he let out a strangled groan of pain.   
“Is he okay…?” She lowly asked as she dared to take a step closer.  
For a moment, no one answered. It felt like they hadn’t even heard her. But then Derek piped up.  
“He should make it, he’s supposed to heal” The man looked up to her, piercing her with his intense green eyes. “But he barely survived”  
Then everyone slowly pulled him to his feet as he felt weak and heavy. Scott was barely even conscious as they dragged him away from there. As they arrived to the Jeep and sat Scott down on the seat, only Lydia and Catori lingered in that place.  
“We were right, he was in great danger” The redhead told the other girl quietly.  
“Y-Yeah…” Was all she could say in response as her green eyes followed their frantic movements.  
“Don’t worry, we found him on time” Lydia tried to soothe her friend’s concern despite her own. “He’s gonna be fine”  
“Yeah…”  
“Are you okay?”  
“No”  
A moment of silence followed as Catori turned her head to look at Lydia dead in the eyes.  
“Even after all of this happened…” Catori gulped. “I still have a really bad feeling”  
*  
Scott was lying on his bed, still recovering from all the grave wounds that covered his whole body.   
The mere memory of what happened that day, almost a week ago, still haunted him. Those bright eyes surrounding him as claws and fangs and growls rendered closer to him. As they painfully pierced his body and blood began emanating from the wounds.  
They weren’t even werewolves, not all of them. But he had no idea what some of them were, maybe he had been just too scared to figure it out.  
He hated to be standing there doing nothing but eat his head, but he felt too weak even after all that time. He wasn’t fully recovered yet.  
“How you doing, buddy?” Like every day, Stiles was there to check on him.  
“Better” Scott managed a soft smile as he sat up on the bed.  
“Glad to hear that” Stiles casually plopped down on the edge of the bed and grinned at his friend.  
“Is everyone doing okay?”  
“Yeah, Derek is still keeping an eye out just in case that crappy pack that attacked you comes after one of us” Sensing he should add reassuring words, Stiles kept talking. “But that’s not gonna happen, so hold your horses”  
“I haven’t known anything from Catori ever since that day” Scott began, making his friend roll his eyes in disgust and exasperation. “Do you know from her?”  
“I think Lydia still talks to her” He replied, waving his hand in the air to show he didn’t really care. “But I couldn’t care less”  
“Stiles…” Scott pleaded, tiredly.  
“No, Scott, I told you!” His friend retaliated. “I told you I didn’t trust her!”  
“She didn’t attack me!”  
“But isn’t it too much coincidence that soon after you befriend her that happens? That strange things start happening right when she gets to Beacon Hills?”   
“They could be just that: coincidences”  
“No, I know she has something to do with all of this, I just know it! It’s a pattern…”  
“She hasn’t done anything wrong!” Scott begged for his friend to listen to him, but Stiles just ignored that comment.  
“And I can prove it” Stiles seriously said, a tiny and somewhat devious smirk growing on his mouth. “I have a plan…”


	9. The Plan

Lydia took a look at her nails freshly painted of a purplish tone and pouted in approval, then glancing at Catori.  
“Your manicure looks great” The redhead told her friend with a small smile on her lips.  
“Finally” Catori replied, chuckling as she observed her black painted nails.  
“Since it’s the weekend, we can do something else if you want” Lydia suggested, blowing on her nails so they would dry.  
Catori let her eyes wander around the beauty salon and shrugged.  
“I don’t know, we could…” To be honest with herself, what she felt like doing the most was passing by Scott’s house to see how he was doing.   
Ever since that pack attacked him, things had been a bit complicated.  
Catori had only spoken to Lydia ever since, because she felt like the rest of the pack were cautious of her. After all, she had somewhat foreseen Scott getting hurt even if Lydia was the only one that knew about her nightmare.  
But Derek was looking out for the other pack, trying to find out more about them and making sure they didn’t get anywhere near the gang again. And Malia or Liam or Kira were probably trying to help him. Which meant that it was mainly Scott and Stiles alone, and that implied that Catori didn’t really want to get around Scott. The Stilinski kid had already been very suspicious of the girl, but after she got attacked and his best friend got assaulted too… She didn’t feel like putting up with his behavior at all.  
“Or…” Lydia piped up, taking Catori back to reality. “We could go see Scott”  
Amusedly surprised, her friend huffed.  
“Are you kidding me? You just read my mind, are you a psychic?” Catori whined, observing the redhead in astonishment.   
Lydia pursed her lips together in a self-satisfied smile.  
“I don’t have to be one to know it, but…” She smirked a bit and made a dramatic pause that had Catori squinting her eyes in suspicion. “Now that we’re on the subject”  
“Oh, no… Here it comes” Catori rolled her eyes, knowing what her friend was about to say.  
“You have to admit” Lydia began, ignoring her exasperated comment. “That you knew Scott was going to get badly hurt”  
“You had a bad feeling too!” The other girl complained, throwing her hands in the air in exasperation. As they fell back on the arm rests of the chair she was sitting on, she winced because she thought that she could have ruined her manicure. Luckily, as she took a quick look at her hands, she saw she hadn’t.  
Noticing this too, Lydia grinned in amusement.  
“I didn’t have a nightmare way before it happened” Cocky, she lifted an eyebrow and coolly stared at her friend.  
“Had I known, I would have never told you” In response, Catori held back the urge to angrily cross her arms, afraid that she would have to get her nails done again.  
“Catori…” The aforesaid rolled her eyes once more before she obliged and dropped her fed up attitude.  
“I can’t really explain it, it just happened…” Somewhat concerned for all her odd sensations and intuitions, the girl frowned.  
She remembered how she sleepwalked soon after she moved to Beacon Hills. How sometimes she felt random emotions –apprehension, fear, warmth, safety, danger – that didn’t seem to be triggered by anything, and how she sometimes got absent no matter how hard she tried to focus. Not to mention the nightmares that were starting to keep her awake.  
During that week that passed since the incident happened, Catori had been terrified to go to sleep. An irrational fear of having another one of those nightmares kept her up and she would only fall asleep when the tiredness took over her in spite of herself. She managed to get some sleep, enough to be alright most of the day. But a strange gut feeling still told her that she needed to stay alert just in case. That bad feeling lingered and caused her to be on edge.  
At least, she was better when she took her mind out of it. And she found shielded herself in the ways she had to distract herself. Chatting with her jujitsu colleague Amanda, training, going to the museum to visit both her mom and Minerva and, of course, spending time with Lydia.  
“You felt it, didn’t you?” Once again, Lydia’s voice dragged her away from her line of thought. “Just like I did”  
“Yeah” Catori absently glanced at her friend. “I get these strange feelings… like… like intuitions…”  
If it weren’t for the fact that it was Lydia she was talking to, she would have never confessed that. But like always, something told her that the redhead would listen to her without judging her and would actually understand what she meant. Someone else would probably think she was just imagining things or exaggerating.  
“What kind of intuitions?” At that very moment, the beauticians arrived and began to mess around with their hairs, curling Catori’s and ironing Lydia’s.  
“I don’t know, from people… or situations…”  
“Situations? Like what happened to Scott? You sensed he was in danger despite your nightmare” Lydia got serious as she observed her friend, recalling the moment Catori’s expression changed to one of anguish just before she voiced her worry. “A feeling of peril overcomes you”  
Even though her last sentence wasn’t a question, Catori nodded affirmatively. Still, it felt like Lydia knew something she didn’t.  
“It depends, sometimes I get different emotions… Relief, calmness, safety, apprehension… It depends on the situation”   
“What about people then?” In an attempt to avoid making her feel uncomfortable, Lydia adapted a serene demeanor.  
“Yeah, I kind of read people… Like Scott, or Stiles. Or you” Trying to appear like it wasn’t so important, she briefly shrugged.  
Raising her eyebrows in surprise, Lydia insisted.  
“So what about us then?”  
“Scott has this kind and calm aura, but also strong and firm. And Stiles, even though he’s a jerk most of the time-“  
“To you” Her friend interrupted her for a second, tilting her head as she spoke. She couldn’t help but to defend the boy, she was too fond of him not to.  
“He’s still a nice guy, I know it. If he would just stop being a pain in the ass” Catori chuckled, making Lydia do as well. “And I just feel like I can trust you entirely”  
“I’m glad to hear that, girlfriend” The redhead softly nudged her with the elbow and they smiled at each other.  
“So do you get all of this too?”   
“Sometimes”  
“Weird…” Catori mumbled, carefully thinking about it.  
But Lydia didn’t seem to think it was that huge. She had picked up her phone and was just texting someone in a carefree way.  
*  
Scott looked up from his phone, since he was texting Lydia, when he heard Stiles walk into the house.  
Quickly reading the message, he smiled once he knew Catori was with her and was somewhat okay. It had been a crazy week in which so many things happened. So he just wanted to make sure his friends were alright.  
He felt slightly more relieved knowing Lydia was with Catori and that both of them were okay. He hoped that, just like him, they had regained a mild feeling of safety again. After all, that pack didn’t bother them again so far. And he really wanted it to remain like that.  
“Yo” Stiles poked his head at the door, grinning at his friend.  
“Hey” Scott put his phone back on his pocket and stood up from his bed.  
“I just talked with Derek” His best friend came into the room, fiddling with his hands absently. “All he’s got from that pack is that the alpha is called Norman. But at least they don’t seem to be getting anywhere near us”  
Scott nodded, mentally saving the information.   
“Any idea why they attacked me?”   
“No” Stiles sighed in resignation. “But it probably has something to do with you being a true alpha werewolf and all. You know, just that minor detail”  
The boy chuckled because of his friend’s sarcasm. It was true that his powerful nature could be troublesome sometimes, often with other supernatural creatures.  
“And is everyone else okay?” Just going back to normal after staying in for a week, just resting, he barely knew anything about anyone.  
“Yeah, I spoke to Malia and Liam and Mason and everyone”  
Scott smiled almost without even realizing, so glad to hear it. He also knew Kira was fine as well, since she had visited him many times –she was his girlfriend after all –just like Stiles had done.  
“Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something” Stiles turned serious for a moment and briefly glanced at the floor before he set his eyes on his friend’s again.  
“Go ahead” Scott encouraged him, ready to hear it yet a bit suspicious.  
“We need to do something about Catori” The boy bit his lip as he observed Scott’s expression, awaiting his reaction.  
“Not this again…” That was his response, a tired and exasperated one.  
“Scott, she was attacked by a werewolf! And her incident followed the pattern of the case in which other girls went missing” Stiles’ eye twitched because of his friend’s exasperation. “But she didn’t go missing!”  
“Stiles-“  
“And soon after, you were attacked by them too!”  
Sensing he wasn’t done talking and he could go on for a lot longer, Scott intervened.  
“What do you have in mind then?” He tried to approach the situation calmly, hearing what Stiles had to say first.  
“I have a plan”   
“Yeah, the plan. The famous plan you told me about last time”  
“I want to prove that she’s shady, that there’s something strange with her”   
Scott sighed and scratched his head in frustration.  
“So what’s the plan?”  
“George. We are going to use him” Proud and satisfied with his genius plan, Stiles grinned widely.  
“George” Scott repeated in astonishment.  
“Yeah! He doesn’t know Catori recognized him” Stiles licked his lips, feeling how the gears in his brain worked quickly. “We can trick him”  
“This is not a good idea…” Scott groaned worriedly as he furrowed his brows.  
“If they think she will be alone and vulnerable somewhere, we can lure him to her and see if they’re in on it together” Stiles showed a devious grin as he nodded to himself. “And we can maybe find out who’s the alpha of the pack, he’s obviously a beta”  
“Maybe it’s that Norman guy Derek’s been talking about”  
“So you’re on?”  
“No!” Scot shook his head. “We’re putting her in danger, are you trying to kill her?”  
“I don’t want to kill her, I just want to prove a point” Stiles innocently told him. “We’ll be there to protect her”  
“We?”  
“You and me”  
“You mean me, a true alpha werewolf and… you?” With a skeptic expression but a somewhat kind look not to make him feel bad, Scott stared at his friend.  
“I have a bat” Stiles said, like it was a superpower that could protect him from all evil.  
“If you’re so sure… we could try it, but I’m not doing it unless I’m one hundred percent sure she’s going to be completely safe”  
“How are you gonna assure that?”  
“We can ask for backup”  
“From who?” Stiles observed his friend as he put his phone out again.  
Scott grinned proudly and quickly glared at Stiles before he fixed his eyes back on his cell.  
“Everyone”  
*  
Around two or three hours later, Scott was knocking on the door of the Stilinski home. He was genuinely intrigued as to what Stiles had been doing and why he was asking him to meet at his place all of a sudden. It surely had to do with ‘the plan’, and that made him feel restless.  
The door opened after a few more seconds and the Sheriff appeared behind it.  
“Hello, Scott”  
“Hi, is Stiles home?”   
“No, but he should be back soon. Want to wait for him inside?”  
“Sure, thanks”  
The Sheriff stepped aside and motioned for his guest to come on in, which he did.  
Scott walked in and sat in the couch, sighing as he still wondered what his best friend could be doing at that moment. So many things were running through Scott’s mind, picturing what his friend was up to and what was happening with George, Catori and the plan.  
Right then and before he could eat his head too much, he heard the door swinging open and a voice echoing around the hall.  
“Dad, is Scott here?” Stiles’ voice yelled at the house, not knowing in which room his father was.  
From upstairs, the man’s voice came.  
“In the living room!”  
“Scott!” Stiles excitedly ran into the room and grinned a bit as he got his breath back.  
“Stiles, what’s going on?”  
“I talked to them, to Catori and George” He announced proudly. “For the trap I set”  
“How did you know where they would be at? It’s the weekend”  
Stiles smirked a little.   
“I have my sources”   
“I don’t even want to know” Scott said, shaking his head sternly.  
“Anyway, the plan should be starting in around two hours” Stiles continued to explain to his friend. “That’s when they are meeting”  
“I still don’t like this one bit” McCall sighed in resignation.   
“C’mon!” Stilinski whined. “Everyone is on board, it should be fine”  
“Did Catori say anything about me?” Scott piped up, wanting to change the subject not to argue with Stiles.  
“Yeah” The other boy nodded. “She asked me if you were doing okay, I told her to ask you herself”  
Scott couldn’t help but to let out a soft sarcastic laugh.  
“And?”  
“And she said she feels guilty for everything that happened and doesn’t want to, you know, bother us anymore”  
“She feels bad?”  
“Yeah, it’s called acting?” Stiles squinted his eyes at his friend.  
Scott was rolling his eyes when his phone began to ring loudly. He calmly picked it up while Stiles observed his friend curiously.  
“Hello?”   
“Guys” It was Lydia’s voice the one which spoke through the other side of the phone. “Catori’s in trouble”  
Scott’s eyes widened as he stared at Stiles, who mouthed him a question as to what he was being told and who he was speaking to.  
“What do you mean ‘Catori’s in trouble’, Lydia?”   
“I followed this feeling I had been having all day… I’m in the forest, and Catori is here by herself…” The redhead made a pause and let out a restless sigh. “She is in grave danger, I know it”  
“We’re on our way, don’t hang up” He motioned his friend to move as he still talked with Lydia through the phone. “Tell me, what’s happening?”   
“Is that boy, George… I think he’s a werewolf” Lydia gulped, concerned. “And he’s hiding, probably to attack her”  
“George?!” When he heard that, Scott began to walk faster, almost running.  
Stiles grimaced, obviously feeling guilty for his crazy plan. It hadn’t gone as they thought it would.  
“Do you have any idea why she’s here in the middle of the forest, alone?” Their friend insisted, her eyes observing the scene in anguish.  
They hadn’t told Lydia about Stiles’ brilliant plan. It was Stiles’ idea, even if he hated to keep things from her. But he was sure she would freak out and convince them to drop it, and she would be in her right to do so. That was why Stiles had thought it would be better to hide it from her for the moment.  
“It’s… a long story” Scott summarized, knowing they would have to deal with Catori first.  
Lydia’s silence told him she wasn’t too satisfied with that answer, but that she knew as well what the priority was and had resigned herself.  
“Tell Lydia to go home, she’ll be safe there” Stiles exclaimed as he run alongside Scott, heading to the Jeep.  
“I don’t want to go home, she’s my friend and-“ She complained, but Scott clicked his tongue in annoyance.  
“Lydia, leave” He almost ordered her. “We’ll be there in a moment to protect Catori”  
“I don’t want her getting attacked again” Lydia sternly told him.  
“She won’t be, just leave and we’ll take care of it” That said, Scott hung up so she wouldn’t be able to say anything back.  
Then, the two of them got into the Jeep and Stiles quickly started the engine and drove off.  
“I’ll call Derek to tell him the plan is developing ahead of time” Scott began dialing his number with shaky fingers.  
“Okay” Stiles quietly replied.  
They were in silence for a moment while the fidgety boy twitched around, still keeping his caramel brown eyes on the road. Scott put the phone to his ear after dialing Derek.  
“I told you it wasn’t a good idea” Scott told his friend sternly as he waited for him to pick up.  
“I never thought it would get out of hand like this” Stiles defended himself, just as restless as his friend was. The two boys exchanged a brief concerned glance before looking away again.  
Stiles stomped his feet on the gas pedal and looked at Scott with the corner of his eye. His friend was as serious as Stiles himself was, and just as anguished.  
Lydia was sure that someone was in death danger and turned out it was Catori. Maybe they had planned to attack her like they attacked Scott –the whole pack, outnumbering him –and they hadn’t even thought about that possibility.   
Even though Stiles never actually liked her like Scott did, he didn’t want anything happening to her. Because over time, she had showed that she cared about Scott as much as Stiles himself did. And to be fair, she didn’t seem to be that bad. So Stiles was worried as they arrived near the forest where Lydia had told them she would be at. She had wanted to go with them herself because she had kind of grown fond of Catori too. But none of the boys would let her in case something really bad happened. For all they knew, that danger might kill anyone that went near it. So they had only told people that they were sure could fend for themselves in such perilous situation. Not that Lydia couldn’t take care of herself, but Stiles was just too stubborn about it.   
“Stop here” Scott commanded, opening the door of the Jeep.   
“Why here?”  
“I get her scent”  
As fast and nimbly as he could, Stiles pulled the car to a halt and grabbed his bat. Then, they both got out of the Jeep. Just as they started walking, a nerve-wracking shriek of terror filled the air.   
Stiles opened his eyes wide and looked at his friend, who was already transformed into a werewolf and on the run.  
“Shit” Stiles started to run, following the noise, until he arrived at the scene and came to a halt.  
Scott was fighting someone that looked a lot like a werewolf while Catori recovered herself and got to her feet by using a tree as a support.  
“Stay down!” A deep voice shouted, catching their attention.  
Scott and Stiles looked in time to see Chris Argent wielding a shotgun and pointing it at the unknown werewolf. But Catori was still so in shock that she didn’t notice.  
Mentally, Stiles thanked Lydia for warning them. Otherwise, they might not have been able to call everyone so they would be there as well as arriving themselves on time.  
“Catori!” Stiles yelled, running to her and tackling her to the floor just as Argent fired his weapon.  
The girl lowly squeaked and covered her head and her ears while the gunshots still echoed through the forest. They only stopped when a groan was heard.  
Still protecting the girl with his body and wrapping his arms around her, Stiles looked to make sure Scott was unharmed, which he fortunately was. None of them were looking forward to see him get hurt again.  
Only then, when he had made sure that they were safe and the werewolf was not a danger anymore, he held Catori by the shoulders and pulled her up.  
Her legs were shaking and her heart was beating so fast that she was scared it would jump out of her chest. After all, she almost got attacked. Again. And it wasn’t a pleasant experience. But Catori was unharmed, and she didn’t want him to see how scared she was.  
“Are you okay?” He asked her, staring at her urgently.  
Catori was still so in shock that she didn’t reply. She just kept breathing in and out in a daze, not believing that she could have died if it weren’t for the hunter and her two friends.  
Just then, more people came running by. Braeden, Derek, Kira and Liam.   
“Malia went after him” Kira told them as she observed the scene carefully.  
“We’re going with her” Derek said, referring to Braeden and himself. “You stay here”  
“Is everyone okay?” Liam asked to no one in particular, taking a quick look around to make sure of it.  
“I think so” Stiles mumbled, looking back at Catori to check for himself.  
Taking notice of her uneasiness, Stiles carefully put the hair away from her face and softly squeezed her shoulder.  
“Are you okay?” He tried again, this time kindly.  
The aforesaid let out a shaky breath and nodded, finally looking up to him.  
“Yeah, I’m fine” Still breathing heavily, she tried to recompose herself. “I’m fine”  
“He didn’t bite you, did he?”  
“N-no, I said I’m fine!” She angrily replied, trying to get a grip of herself and slightly pushing him away. “I just-“  
“What?” Stiles looked over his shoulder when he noticed her eyes had grown wide with surprise and maybe even alarm. When he followed the direction she was looking at, he understood what she had seen that had left the girl so affected. It was Scott, just turning back to his human self from his previous werewolf form.  
“You’re one of them…” Catori whispered, her eyes fixed in him and unable to look away. “You’re a werewolf!”  
Her eyes turned watery and Catori felt herself shaky and unstable, not really being able to wrap her head around the idea that the boy she admired and was so fond of was one of those creatures. That he was like those who had attacked her and seemed to be everything wrong with Beacon Hills.  
Scott frowned, not really liking that she had found out about that. And less that she found out that way.   
He feared that she would be afraid of him after all that happened to her as well as her family. He feared that Catori wouldn’t want to be near him ever again.  
“Ca… Catori… Tori…” He called her like that, hoping a fond nickname would somewhat make things easier. But she just shook her head and took a few steps away from them, finally getting free from Stiles’ grip and averting her gaze from them.  
“I want to go home” Her voice had sounded stern and almost angry, but her words were a frightened and desperate call for help despite her stubbornness.  
“Stiles. Take Catori home, will you?” Scott ordered sternly, obviously annoyed with his friend because of his stupid plan.  
“Dude, she’s okay” Stiles reminded him as he took a few steps closer to him and further from her. “I’m sorry, I really am, but she’s fine”  
“Just take her home” Knowing it would be for the best, Scott just left.  
He just hoped that Stiles would keep an eye on her and get her home safely. She had been through enough stress and fear in such a short period of time, worth a lifetime even.  
Stiles sighed, knowing he had messed up for good that time. Everyone would be mad at him, and they were right to be.   
“Come on” He lowly said to Catori. “I’ll drive you home”  
Silent and moody, she followed him to the Jeep and hopped on.  
*  
When they were halfway there, the Jeep decided to break down and so they had to stop and try to fix it.  
“This thing is so old, no wonder it broke down… piece of junk…” Catori mumbled in contempt, looking at the vehicle with a scowl on her face.  
“I know you’re upset, so I’m gonna let that one slip” Stiles told her, glancing at her in annoyance.  
Catori sent him a death glare even if he was busy sticking his head on the engine of the vehicle and didn’t see her.  
“Whatever you say, nerd”  
“Are you angry or just scared?” Stiles mumbled, watching how her hands were shaking and how the beam of light she pointed to the engine wobbled too.  
Catori looked up to him with such an intense glare that her eye twitched. Stiles wished he would have kept his mouth shut for once.  
“Both, Stilinski!” The girl threw her arms in the air in exasperation. “I’m scared because I almost got killed by a freaking werewolf again! And I’m angry because I just saw my friend Scott turn into a freaking werewolf and because you set me up for a trap that apparently meant to kill me!”  
Stiles gulped, but the guilt still occupied his chest and he knew that it would become a heavy burden.  
“The plan was safe, you weren’t supposed to get hurt. And you didn’t” His words were meant to convince himself that it could have been so much worse more than to convince her.  
“Just fix the damn Jeep” She replied tiredly.  
Stiles sighed and carried on putting duct tape over the engine, even though her shaky pulse made that task difficult.  
“I can’t fix it if you don’t stop shaking” Stiles sighed heavily, still focused on his precious Jeep.  
“I’m cold” She lied with obvious annoyance.  
Stiles clicked his tongue and quickly took his hoodie off, leaving him in just a plaid shirt and a black t-shirt.   
“Here” He offered the girl his hoodie, who observed it hesitantly. “Take it!”  
“Okay…” Catori took it and put it on, actually thanking the warmth because it also made her feel better about it all under the comforting light weight. “Are you almost done with that?”  
Stiles fixed the last thing and looked up triumphantly, with a somewhat smug grin.   
“About time” She just rolled her eyes, still upset and annoyed.  
Without a word, she got in again and impatiently waited for Stiles to sit on the driver’s seat.   
Stiles frowned to himself when he did, feeling terrible about the whole thing. But he promised himself that he would make it up. To Scott and to everyone. Especially to Catori, who had been the one to be in deathly peril because of his stupid idea.  
Taking a deep breath that meant to relief the heavy tension and weight on his chest that the guilty and regret caused, he got in. Even if it hadn’t really helped with that feeling on his chest.  
Winking an eye in fearful anticipation, Stiles tried to start the engine. When the Jeep responded, he smirked and patted the dashboard.  
“That’s my boy” He sighed in content and glanced at the girl.  
Catori was looking back at him, but with that unamused and angry expression still plastered on her face.  
“Let’s go” Stiles said as he drove off again.  
None of them said a word during the whole journey.  
*  
Once they had arrived, Stiles stopped the car and looked at Catori. He smiled a little to himself when he saw her. Her feet were up on the seat as she cuddled over herself, her head resting against the window and her chest slowly raising up and down in a calm pace. She was fast asleep.  
The poor girl must have been feeling exhausted, and more after all those crazy events that took place in Beacon Hills ever since she moved there.  
For a second, Stiles found himself admiring how peaceful and beautiful she looked at that very moment. But he forced himself to snap out of it.  
“Catori” He gently shook her shoulder, immediately waking her up.  
The girl looked around sleepily until her green eyes fell over Stiles.  
“I fell asleep…” She sighed, rubbing her eyes and staring at him after.   
“We’re here” Stiles just said with a neutral voice, trying not to let her know of the inner conflict inside him. Of his doubt and nervousness. Of how he hated that he was starting to grow very fond of her.  
“Thanks” Without a word, she got off the Jeep.  
“Wait” He called her before she could leave.  
“Yeah, have your stupid hoodie back” She rolled her eyes and took the jacket off.  
“Catori” He shook his head, letting her know that he didn’t care about the hoodie. “I’m… I’m glad you’re okay”  
Her jaw dropped in surprise and Catori found herself unable to say a word back because of the shock that just that one sentence caused her.  
Stiles looked at her one last time before he drove off. He felt frustrated because he had wanted to feel her touch. He had wanted to put something over her so she didn’t get cold. To hug her to bring her some comfort after those horrible events. To carry her into her room himself so she could sleep in peace.  
But Stiles didn’t want her to know all that. Because he was not supposed to trust her or even like her. And he didn’t want to think about those feelings either.


	10. Regret

Rubbing his face tiredly, Stiles leaned against the locker and sighed in exhaustion.  
“What a weekend…” He complained, opening his eyes to glance at Scott. The boy nodded in response, agreeing with that statement.   
“I feel so bad…” Scott sighed, closing his locker and standing next to his friend with a haunting gaze. “I should have told her I am a werewolf, I hate that she found out like that”  
Stiles let out a sarcastic laugh and tiredly leaned his head back on the locker.  
“You feel bad?” Stilinski made a face of displease. “Lydia and Catori hate me right now, and I don’t blame them”   
“Have you talked to Lydia?”   
“Yeah, she’s the only one Catori talks to” Stiles glanced around, wondering if he would see them around the building. “And she says Catori doesn’t want to see us”   
“That plan was stupid” Scott just said as a matter-of-fact way.  
“Yeah, thanks” Stiles rolled his eyes, aware of the fact that he had messed up. He deeply regretted everything that happened because of him. “I know it was stupid”  
“Have you tried talking to Catori directly?”   
“No!” Stiles snapped, scandalized. “I’m not suicidal”   
“She’s not that bad…”  
“With you!” He exclaimed, knowing that she liked Scott. “She can’t stand me”  
“Maybe because you kept distrusting her and almost got her killed?”  
“She’s like a cat” Stiles continued, completely ignoring Scott’s remark. “Catori seems harmless, but she has claws and can scratch you”  
“You’re exaggerating!” His friend was about to say something else when he realized the Stilinski boy was chuckling to himself.  
“What are you laughing at?”  
“Catori… cat…” Stiles grinned goofily, amused by his own joke. “It’s funny”  
Scott just dedicated him a tired glance that definitely showed it was not the time for puns.  
“What?” Stiles mumbled innocently, but his friend didn’t reply.  
The bell then rang, so the two boys proceeded to head over to their next class.  
“You should talk to her and apologize” The boy insisted, calmly, to his restless friend.   
“I will” Stiles said back to him. “I’ll look for her later and try to make up”  
Scott smiled, glad that he had finally decided to do it, and followed his friend into the classroom.  
All he wanted was to fix everything and be friends with Catori. And hopefully for Stiles to be too.  
*  
A strange shiver shook Catori’s whole body just when a hand was placed on her shoulder. Not because it was cold or because it had startled her, but the contact sent an unpleasant and eerie feeling through her.  
When she turned around, she found face to face with Vanessa, the Literature teacher. That woman seemed to be genuinely intrigued by Catori’s odd behavior.   
“Everything okay, Catori?”   
“Y-yeah…” She replied, a bit astonished. “I’m fine”  
Vanessa gave her a friendly smile that didn’t really manage to reassure Catori.  
“Let me know if you need anything” The woman kindly told her, still smiling. As all response, Catori just nodded, even if deep down the girl was still rattled.  
Although restless, she convinced herself that it had to be because of her mindset lately. She got poor sleep, was always alert and worried that something bad could happen and she might be a bit paranoid. Not to mention the werewolf attack and the scare from the other day that she later found out, was Stiles’ doing.  
Trying to get away from Vanessa, Catori subtly left with the excuse that she was late for the next subject.  
*  
Just as she got out of the classroom, she found face to face with a familiar but unwanted presence.   
“Happy birthday!” Stiles excitedly exclaimed, grinning widely while offering something to her. Catori barely even glanced at him, she just resigned herself to dedicate him an unamused expression.  
“Is that your icebreaker, Stilinski?”  
“Maybe…”  
“Well, it’s not my birthday” She replied dryly, making a face to mock him. “So goodbye”  
Catori began to walk away, but the boy nimbly placed himself in front of her to keep her from doing so.  
“I’m sorry, okay? I just want to be your friend”   
“Oh, really?” Catori sarcastically laughed. “Because a few days ago you hated my guts”  
“That’s not entirely true” Stiles corrected her. “You see, I just distrusted you”  
“Shut up…” The girl told him, but he ignored her and kept talking.  
“I just thought that there was something strange about you, but since I don’t anymore… maybe we could be friends now” He forced a smile, even if he squinted his eyes in apprehension for the possible wrath that could fall upon him.  
“I said no, Stilinski!” Simply taking a step to the right, she evaded him and carried on walking.  
“Let me make it up to you!”   
“Not interested”  
“Catori! Come on, at least take this!” Stiles still offered her something, so she looked over her shoulder without stopping.  
Noticing it was a wrapper of Reese’s peanut butter cups, she glanced at him. She actually loved those snacks.  
“Is it poisoned or something?” Deep down, Catori was joking and was deliberately trying to piss him off, but she asked anyway.  
“No!” Stiles clicked his tongue, and shook his head in exasperation. “Are you kidding me? I’m trying to make up, not poison you!”  
Taking the snack with her, she made a pause that she savored. A little harmless revenge was so satisfying to her.   
Knowing by the sound of his footsteps behind her that Stiles kept following her, Catori piped up after those seconds of silence.   
“I’ll think about it” Was the last thing she said, leaving him behind and getting away from there.  
*  
Finally, classes were over. It had been a very stressful day for Catori.  
Lately she wasn’t getting much sleep at all, her strange intuitions and sensations that she talked to Lydia about seemed to be intensifying, the classes were boring and tedious and an eerie feeling had been accompanying her during the whole high school day.  
Not to mention Stiles following her everywhere and annoying her with apologies that she didn’t want to hear.  
“You’re safe” Lydia grinned as Catori walked out of the classroom, looking around her to make sure Stiles was nowhere near her.  
“Thanks” Going through the hall along with her friend, the girl sighed in slight relief. “I’m not in the mood to put up with him”   
“He’s getting on your nerves, isn’t he?”   
“Amongst other things, yeah” Catori made a face when she realized Lydia was almost smirking in amusement. “Why is this so funny to you?”  
“Because you’re overreacting, both of you” Lydia calmly said, not being fazed by the other girl’s annoyed death glare.  
“I’m not overreacting!”  
“Do you think he wanted any of that to happen? I’ve talked to him, and believe me when I tell you I’m mad at him” Watching as Catori was so annoyed that she wanted to keep on walking to avoid being lectured, Lydia grabbed her arm to stop her. “But he was just trying to protect his friends, and his plan was much safer than that. It just went out of hand”  
“What is he protecting them from? Me? Don’t be ridiculous!” Catori huffed, still offended. “No matter why, but thanks to his stupid and reckless plan I almost died!”  
“You’re overreacting, honey, and so is he” Again, Lydia didn’t seem to be bothered by Catori’s mood. “Stiles shouldn’t be so tiresome and annoying”  
“Well, thank you!”  
“But you shouldn’t be so pigheaded” The redhead quickly added in a collected voice.  
“Whose side are you on?!”  
“Neither! I see both of your points, but neither of you are completely right”   
“You should be on my side”  
“Isn’t it enough that I’m mad at him?”  
“I’m going home” Catori just replied, not even bothering to answer the question.  
Lydia pursed her lips together while she observed how her friend left.  
In fact, she thought that Catori and Stiles were pretty alike. Pity, if they both weren’t so stubborn they would end up being really close.   
*  
The girl warily walked around the now familiar streets that led to her house. Beacon Hills was starting to feel like home despite all the crazy events that she went through in there, even if just by familiarity.   
Being almost back home made Catori feel relieved and safe, like in there she would be protected from all the stress and dangers from the outside world. However, a voice made her freeze when she was about to turn a corner to the next street.  
“Catori!” She should have known he wouldn’t give up so easily. “How are you doing? Huh… What are the chances that we just happened to run into each other! What a coincidence. Yeah, just a coincidence”  
Since when she turned around, Catori didn’t say anything at first, Stiles quickly said something to break the quiet atmosphere that her hard glare made tense.   
“A coincidence” He repeated with a goofy smile.  
“Are you following me?”  
“What?!” He was obviously lying, judging by the fake tone on his voice. “No! No! I just… I, uh… Well, actually-“  
“Stop following me!”   
“Okay, I was following you. But I just want to talk to you, and I’m determined!” He breathed heavily as he tried to keep up with Catori, she was more athletic than he thought. “Just listen to me!”  
“I’m not gonna listen to you, you’re just trying to alleviate your guilt” She had made up her mind, and was not going to forgive him so easily. “I shouldn’t even be talking to you”  
“If you call this talking, because you’re not even looking at me” Stiles waited for her to reply, probably with something mean or sarcastic. Surprised by her silence and lack of aggressiveness, his eyebrows shot up as his eyes opened wider.  
“Now you’re not even gonna say anything?” Biting his lip, frustrated by the situation, he sighed. “Silent treatment, huh?”  
That was definitely what she was going for. Even though Catori didn’t know much about Stiles, she knew that would get to him.  
To pass to the other side of the road and avoid him while she was at it, Catori jogged over a patch of grass that separated the two parts of the road all along it.   
“Catori!” The boy insisted, pigheaded about it. “Will you freaking listen?”  
“No!” She shouted, having enough when he wrapped his hand around her arm. “Leave me alone!”  
Furious, she turned around and threw him a death glare so harsh that made him stop on his tracks, startled. Stiles observed her warily, wondering if she would yell at him again. But she just stared at him, fed up and angry.  
“Go away, Stilinski” Even if she spoke so lowly that he almost didn’t hear her, Catori’s tone sounded almost menacing and her words came out with anger.  
Hating to be so annoying and to tempt fate, he grabbed her arm as she was turning around fuming mad.   
“I just want to say something and then I’ll leave you alone, I promise” Hoping that his words could have an impact on her and eventually get her to forgive him, Stiles waited. He just wanted to apologize and speak his mind.  
Catori’s shoulders were tense and she was obviously not amused, but she sighed and relaxed just a tiny bit. Figuring he wouldn’t leave her alone until he said what he had to say, she resigned herself to listen.  
“Hurry up before I change my mind…”  
“Look, I know what I did was horrible” Stiles began, gulping loudly and doing his best not to stutter. “And I feel terrible, I wish I hadn’t been stupid enough to plan something like that”  
Catori nodded at his words, definitely agreeing with him about everything.  
Stiles made a pause and nervously licked his lips as he thought about what he was going to say next.  
“I just… I want to be your friend, and I want you to forgive me. If you give me a second chance I’ll be the best friend you can imagine. Just know that I’m really sorry, and I regret it all”  
“Can I say something back?” She put a blank expression and made her voice sound neutral.  
“So do you forgive me?”  
“What makes you think that I wanna forgive you after what you did, Stilinski? You little nerdy- Aaah!” Suddenly, the sprinklers began to shoot water at them.  
They both looked down at the spot of grass they were standing over and observed the water flying around.  
Even though he realized too late that it would only make her even madder, Stiles laughed at the girly and high-pitched scream Catori made in surprise.  
“Don’t you dare laugh at me, you nerd!” If she was mad before, she was just furious now. Her eyes stared at him fuming, throwing daggers at Stiles.  
“I-I, uh… okay, calm down! Catori! I didn’t mean… don’t be like that…” He tried to defend himself, taking a few steps back just in case.  
“Calm down? You’re asking me to calm down?!” Catori yelled, almost completely losing control as she was so choleric. No one managed to get so on her nerves like Stiles did.  
As she advanced closer to him, she pushed her hands against his shoulders, making him stumble backwards, as he kept trying to get away from her.  
“Cat, Cat…” He had no idea why, but he hoped calling her like that would make her wrath to subside.  
“Shut up, nerd!”  
Just when he thought she would definitely slap him, Catori tripped with the wet floor and yelped in surprise as she fell to the ground. His reflexes made him wrap his arms around her to try and keep her from falling, but he ended up falling with her.  
“Are you okay?” Quickly, the boy went to help her up even though she struggled against him.  
“I didn’t ask for your help, leave me alone!”   
The both of them finally stood to their feet, breathless and wet, and glanced at each other. Catori and Stiles found themselves staring into each other’s eyes and mildly blushing because of their closeness and their accidental heavy physical contact. His hands were on the small of her back, holding her up just in case she slipped and fell again. And her hands were on his shoulders as she attempted to keep herself in place even though she didn’t mean to use him as a support.   
For some reason, despite the fact that she was still furious at him, his touch felt… nice. There still was something kind and pleasant about him. His mere presence did. Just like Scott’s presence made her feel kindness and warmth, Stiles’ one sent her a reassuring and pleasant vibe. It was the last thing she wanted to think, but just then she realized she had grown fond of that goofy nerd.  
Not that she would admit it to him either.   
“You said what you had to say” She bluntly spoke up to break the silence and to reinforce her stance. “Now forget me”  
Shoving her hands against his chest, she pushed him away and left him standing there.   
*  
“I looked more into it” Derek quietly said, fixing his piercing green eyes on Scott. “Norman is definitely an alpha, but… there’s something strange about it all…”  
“Why do you say that?”  
“His pack seems too weak… it doesn’t add up… I think we’re overlooking something”  
“Yeah, Stiles is sure that the case of the missing girls has something to do with that pack” Scott said, glancing at his best friend. “Right, Stiles?”  
But the boy had been too absent to hear a word they said. He was just biting his nails as his caramel brown eyes were fixed in a faraway spot.  
“Huh? Yeah, sure”  
“I’m sorry… Are we boring you?” Derek said bitterly, staring at the fidgety boy as he wondered what was going through his restless mind. “What is it?”  
“He’s got something in his mind” Figuring what was occupying his thoughts, Scott grinned a bit.  
“Is it a girl?” Derek played along.  
“No”  
“A boy?”  
“No!”  
“Is it a-?”  
“Okay! It’s a girl, alright?”  
“You’re only making it worse by insisting so much” Scott mumbled, trying to be gentle when telling his friend the truth.  
“I can’t help it! I’m not gonna just stand here and watch her be mad at me!”  
“Why can’t you just let it go?”  
Stiles knew it was because he cared about her and couldn’t really stand the idea of her hating him. He didn’t know how or when it happened, but it did: He cared about Catori. But what came through his mouth was entirely different.  
“Because the guilt is eating me alive” That wasn’t a total lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. Even if Catori believed it to be so.  
Derek stirred in the spot and his lips curved up ever so lightly, almost unnoticeably, as he eyed the boy up and down in amusement.  
“What happened again?”  
“Catori” Stiles mumbled in spite of himself, sulky like a child. “The girl from the other day”  
“The one that almost got killed with your stupid plan” Derek nodded in recognition.   
“She wasn’t killed!”  
“Yeah, I know her” Derek ignored Stiles’ comment and briefly glanced at Scott, who subtly covered his mouth to conceal his entertained grin. “What about Catori?”  
“I tried talking to her, but she won’t forgive me” Stiles sighed and rubbed his face tiredly. “It’s making me go out of freaking my mind”  
“So?”  
“So?!” The boy repeated, astonished and outraged at Derek’s reaction. “Could you be less surprised about it?”  
“I didn’t expect her to be stupid enough to forgive you just like that”  
“But she hates me” Stiles insisted, honestly upset.  
“As I said, she’s clever”   
Stiles sent Derek one of his best death glares and rolled his eyes sassily.  
*  
Wiping the sweat of her forehead, Catori took her keys out. The jujitsu training session did her good because the adrenaline rush made her feel awake and energized for a change, and she also had let out some stress and anxiety that had been piling up on her.  
So when she felt a soft tap on her shoulder, the girl couldn’t stop her instinct and she reacted quite violently. Before she realized, she tried to knock down whoever it was.  
Again, it could be because she still was on edge and constantly scared of the supernatural situation of Beacon Hills. Not to forget the stress that accumulated and her grouchy demeanor because of her lack of sleep.  
Once she realized what her instinct made her do, the girl felt guilty. Stiles let out a squeak as he was pushed against the door, but Catori didn’t feel so bad when she realized it was him.  
She trapped him against the door by pushing her body against his and keeping an arm locked over his chest so they were face to face.  
“Oh, it’s just you” Catori observed, not letting go of him yet.  
“When did you become so strong and nimble?!” He complained, raising his hands up in surrender.  
“I do jujitsu” The girl grumpily replied, slowly dropping her alert attitude.  
“I know”  
“How can you know?”  
“Lydia might have told me” He answered, rolling his shoulders and brushing himself off to pretend like he didn’t get scared. “She told me you had a class now, okay?”  
“I so have to talk to her”   
“Would you explain to me why you didn’t use it against the people that attacked you?”  
“Because unlike you, Stilinski, they were werewolves” Angrily, Catori let him go and took a step back. “And unlike you, they are strong and scary”  
“Okay” Showing her a sarcastic smile, he proceeded to say what he had come to say. “Will you stop being so pigheaded and forgive me already?”  
“Will you stop being so stupid and try to get me killed already?”  
“You’re so resentful!” Stiles replied, offended by her comeback.  
“Yes, I am” Catori emulated his previous sarcastic smile and walked into her house. “And now that we settled it, goodbye”  
She swung the door closed, but Stiles was quick enough to stop it from completely shutting by slapping his hand against it. In fact, he did so fast that he hurt his hand even if he pretended to be nonchalant about it.  
Just then he realized the back of his hand was completely red and marked by something that loo¬ked like a scratch that she probably made, accidentally, with her nails on his skin.  
“You’re like a damn cat, you scratched me!” Having an idea, the boy smirked smugly. “So now we’re even, okay?”  
“Stilinski, don’t play with fire”  
“Okay, look… I’ll do anything if you forgive me” His voice turned pleading and serious.  
Catori was about to try and shut the door again, but she paused when she heard his words. The boy managed a hopeful smile, noticing her doubt.  
“Anything?”  
“Yeah!”  
“Then leave” And she definitely slammed the door in his face this time.  
“You’ll just get more insistence from me, have it your way!” Stiles screamt so Catori could hear him.  
Resigned because there was no way of talking her into it, he turned around and walked away. Not that he wouldn’t try again tomorrow.  
*  
Feeling the need to talk to someone, Catori was tempted to call Lydia and talk to her.  
As she walked out of the shower after her jujitsu training, she felt relaxed. Her thoughts were drifting, and she thought that she had been a bit hard on Stiles, because she knew he was honestly sorry about it all and he had tried to make it up to her. The girl was aware of the fact that he just had bad timing and was annoying her during the worst moment possible. But besides, it was kind of heartwarming how hard he was trying to get her to forgive him. Deep down he wasn’t that bad, he just made a mistake.  
Catori knew Lydia had been right about him, and she wanted to talk to her. So picking up her phone, the girl dialed her friend’s number and patiently waited until she picked up.  
“Catori! Hi!” Lydia’s voice showed she had been expecting that call and also how guilty she felt because she had tattled to him where she would be at. “How are you doing?”  
“I’m not mad at you” She laughed, noting her odd tone. “But come on, telling the enemy my position…”  
“Why are you calling?” The redhead was smart enough to realize that there was a reason behind the call, and she was prepared to be pleasantly surprised.  
“I’m thinking about forgiving him…”  
“That’s good!”  
“Yeah…” Catori smiled a bit. “He’s not so bad after all”  
She genuinely wanted to forgive him and give him a second chance. That way she could see for herself if he in fact was a good guy.  
But maybe she would torture him for a bit longer before she actually forgave him.


	11. Deja Vu

After a long conversation with Lydia over the phone, Catori had made up her mind. She was tired of feeling like a target, of being attacked and being vulnerable and weak. Catori was going to take control of her own life, even if it implied facing the scary events that took place in Beacon Hills. But Beacon Hills was her new home, and she didn’t want to be scared in there anymore.   
“Catori!” Lucy, the girl’s mother, called her from downstairs. “Your friend is here!”  
She smiled sarcastically and proceeded to walk down the stairs.  
Friend. She didn’t know whether he was her friend or not, but she definitely wanted him to be. That was why she had asked him to come over, to solve things through communication. To stop hiding and pretending nothing was happening. To end the tension between them or at least soften it.  
“Hi” Once he saw her from the door, Scott dedicated her a small smile as a sign of peace.  
“Hello” She quietly replied as she stopped at the end of the staircase.  
“I’ll leave you two to talk” Lucy mumbled as she placed a friendly hand on the boy’s shoulders.   
“Thanks, mom” Catori told her absently, since her sharp green eyes were glued to Scott’s brown and warm ones.  
As the woman left the room to leave the teenagers alone, Scott’s mind raced to think of an ice breaker.  
“She seems to be doing well” He piped up, averting his gaze from Catori’s to let it wander around the place Mrs. Hudson had disappeared to. “Glad to see it”  
“Yeah” The girl still stared at Scott even if he wouldn’t hold her glance. “She’s completely recovered from what happened at the museum”  
Scott sighed and dragged his eyes to the floor, where he kept them for a few more seconds until he reluctantly looked up to her.  
“Before anything, I have a message for you” He lowly said, observing her cautiously.  
Catori let out a soft sarcastic chuckle and left the stairs to walk over to the living room.  
“From Stiles?”  
“Well, yeah…” Scott followed her into the room.  
“What’s the message?”  
“He just asked me to try and convince you to forgive him”   
“Message received” Was all the girl said in response as she sat down on the couch. Slowly and still warily, Scott sat down next to her. He decided not to insist.  
“Well, go ahead then…” The boy encouraged her to start speaking because he was ready to listen.  
“I will” Catori cleared her throat and stared at a random spot in front of her as she tried to put some order into her thoughts.  
“Want me to-?”  
“No” She interrupted him, glancing at him quickly. “Just give me a moment”  
“Okay” Scott said, and remained silent, waiting for her to begin.  
He stirred in the seat as he struggled to get comfortable, the awkwardness making him frown in discontent. Catori’s discovery of his werewolf nature had put their relationship in a strange point.  
“I don’t…” The girl sighed after a few more seconds. “I don’t blame you, I know you’re not like the other werewolves that attacked me”  
“Yeah, I would never hurt you” Scott wanted her to know that, to make her see that he thought of her as a friend and all he wanted to do was make sure she was safe. “You’re my friend and-“  
“If you wanted to you would have already” Was her logical thinking that somehow made her feel better. “And you never once did”   
“I guess…” Scott frowned even more, confused and mortified.   
“It just… it surprised me, and I’m a complete mess at the moment” The girl admitted in spite of herself even though she averted her eyes from him. “So much is still going on, but I’m not mad at you even if you should have told me”  
“I know, and I wanted to” Carefully, he placed a warm hand on her arm.  
He smiled a bit when he realized she didn’t shrink away from his touch, and in fact she looked up at him.  
“Well, you failed terribly at telling me” She defended herself, slightly offended.  
“How could I tell you after all of that? I was scared you wouldn’t want to see me again”  
“You’re right…” She budged, heaving a sigh, trying to be understanding of his point of view.   
“So you’re not afraid of me?”  
“No, I’m terrified!” Noting how Scott’s expression turned in sadness, she rushed to add something. “I mean, not you, you’re like a puppy”  
“What?” Scott was left baffled by that statement. Catori let out a soft chuckle and rolled her eyes.  
“I mean, I’m terrified about the werewolf side of you. And not because of you, but… I haven’t really gotten used to the supernatural creatures in this crazy town, you know?”  
“Yeah, it took me a long time for me to get used to it too” In an attempt to comfort her, he gently rubbed her arm a few times before breaking the contact.  
“But… I’m…” With slightly shaky hands, Catori shoved her face in her hands. “I’m freaking out”  
Through her mind rushed several scary images and memories. Ever since she moved to Beacon Hills, her life had turned upside down, and not in a good way necessarily. She recalled George and the state the museum was left in, and waiting for her mom at the police station, and finding out they had attacked Scott, and being surprised by Scott’s werewolf nature. Her heart sped up in spite of herself.  
“I know” Scott told her softly, his voice low as a whisper.  
“What do you mean ‘I know’? How can you know?” Accidentally, her voice was starting to raise on volume and it became high-pitched.  
“I feel it” Scott stared at his friend with a frown, empathizing with her many emotions. “You’re scared, and anxious, and confused, and stressed”  
Catori wondered how he knew all that, how he could be aware of her restlessness and unwell. She had always thought she was very good at hiding her true feelings.  
“Is that part of being a werewolf?”  
“Yeah”  
That only made her anguish to worsen because it hit her how real everything was. How the first friend she made there was an actual werewolf, the boy that was sitting right next to her.   
“It’s okay, calm down” He gently told her in a soft and sweet tone, but the girl was beyond from calm.  
“Why do you say that?”  
“I can hear your heart, and it’s beating really fast”  
“Because you’re freaking me out!” Catori stood up of a sudden, too nervous to sit anymore.  
“It’s okay” He repeated, slowly standing up too and trying to display a calm demeanor to ease her nerves.  
“No it’s not!” She argued, turning a little pale as he heard her heart speeding up even more. “My mom got attacked by werewolves and then I got too! And it turns out an evil pack arrived to Beacon Hills and apparently are kidnapping girls, which included me, but I was lucky enough to escape”  
“Tori…” He tried, reaching out to grab her hands kindly just to be swatted away by her.  
“And-and…” Completely out of control, she let out an emotionless chuckle. “And one of the friends I made tried to get me killed, the other one is a werewolf and the other one is definitely another supernatural creature even though she won’t tell me which. You know, kinda like those that tried to kill us many times before and-”  
Scott hugged her in a rush and felt how her heartbeat began to very slowly beat normally. While she felt the warmth of his arms and body around her, Catori let out a shaky sigh that calmed her a little more.  
Returning the hug by putting her arms around him too, she sighed again, this time steadily, as she rested her cheek on his chest. Managing to breathe properly as she hadn’t in days, the girl closed her eyes and shoved her face on his shoulder. Catori embraced the feeling of safety that Scott’s embrace brought her as his protective arms wrapped around her. Like his aura, it was calm, warm and kind. Just like Scott himself.  
“Better?” His voice sounded deep and low as he kindly asked.  
He believed that she had been bottling it all up for a long time and since she got it out of her system, she probably felt mighty better.  
“I’m not overreacting” Came Catori’s only response.  
The boy laughed a little, still amazed by her and how stubborn she could be.  
“I know you’re not, Tori, you have every right to freak out” Soothingly, Scott’s hands rubbed circles in her back as he squeezed her fondly.  
“Why do you keep calling me Tori?” The girl looked up to meet with his eyes.  
“I don’t know” Still hugging her, Scott shrugged. “It seems to calm you down, and I like it”  
“What if I called you Scotty?”   
“Go ahead”  
“No, thanks” She grinned, briefly hiding her face on his chest again.  
The boy smiled as well as he lingered on the peace and quiet that finally settled in the atmosphere.  
“So…” Gently breaking the embrace, Scott glanced at her with a smile still drawn on his lips. “Are you okay?”  
Instead of talking, Catori nodded once, managing the tiniest of smiles.  
“And are we okay?” The girl did another quick nod. “Can I ask you something?”  
“Yeah, what?”  
“Are you gonna forgive Stiles?”  
“Of course I’m gonna” Crossing her arms over her chest, Catori smirked. “Not without a payback, though”  
“It’s only fair” Scott laughed a little. He was about to walk away when his friend held his upper arm, so the boy glanced over his shoulder to her.  
“Thanks, Scott” Catori told him simply, feeling like she could afford to be a little more open and vulnerable around him.  
“No problem” Before he left, Scott dedicated her a genuine and heartfelt smile. She smiled back.  
*  
When Catori arrived at the high school, she took a deep breath.  
Her pride told her not to forgive him, to turn back now that she still could. But the rest of her feelings screamt that she had to do it. She wanted to do it. So she walked closer to the building, looking around for Stiles.  
She had texted him, asking where he was because she had to talk to him. And there he was, researching something that probably had to do with the triquetra or the packs in the library. So she came over to meet him.  
Soon, the boy was walking out of the library and into the long hallway that connected it to the high school.  
“You wanted to see me?” It was probably the first time Catori heard his voice sound… normal… serious. Not a trace of sarcasm nor mockery, not even playfulness.   
The girl figured it was his way of showing her he was compromised to have an actual serious conversation with her. Because he had hope that she wanted to see him to forgive him.  
“Yes” Catori just nodded gravely, observing how he fidgeted around and played with his hands restlessly. “I wanted to talk to you”  
“Okay… But before you say anything” Stiles made a pause to grab something from one of his pockets and sighed. “I want to give you something”  
Deciding to give him a chance, she remained silent as she observed him. The boy offered something to her that made her jaw drop in surprise.  
“I… I thought you could give this more use than me, you know? I know everything by heart already anyway” Stiles mumbled as Catori took the object.  
It was a notebook she knew very well, one that she had in her possession for a few hours once. Stiles’ notebook, containing all information about the supernatural creatures they knew of.  
“I mean, you can give it a read” Awkwardly, he cleared his throat. “If you know about them you won’t be scared”  
When Catori quickly looked up at him, triggered by those words, he opened his eyes wide in apology.  
“I mean, it’s scary, it’s not that you’re… I didn’t mean you…” Letting out an awkward chuckle, the boy kept rambling as he desperately tried to fix it. “You obviously can fend for yourself, I mean… I think you’re pretty uh… pretty badass”  
Catori couldn’t suppress a small smile as she watched him struggle with his own words.  
“Thanks” She just told him, still with that tiny grin on her lips.  
“Okay” Relieved, Stiles finally shut up once he realized everything was okay with her. More than okay, in fact, because Catori couldn’t stop thinking about how he had just given her one of his most precious possessions.   
That thing that he once got so possessive about when she accidentally took it. He had spent a long time gathering all that information and writing it down, yet he was now giving it to her just like that.  
“So… you wanted to tell me something?” Stiles asked her, seeing as she was still staring at the notebook.  
With a slight smirk, Catori thought about how smart he was. Stiles had to be aware of the fact that giving her the notebook first would soften her. Nonetheless, the girl cleared her throat and stirred on the spot, yet determined to tell him what she wanted to.  
“I know that you feel awful about what happened and that you didn’t mean for it to happen” Making a pause to lick her lips to keep them from drying, she observed him and realized how rarely still and attentive he was at that moment. His eyes were fixed on hers in expectation. “And I just want to ask you if you keep thinking that I’m dangerous”  
Stiles opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again and stared at her in awe.  
“I mean…” He stumbled, scratching his neck awkwardly. “Not that…”  
“I can’t believe it!” She let out a chuckle of disbelief.  
“No, hear me out, okay? Please”   
“You’re an idiot!”   
“I don’t think you’re dangerous” Stiles said with a tone of voice that let Catori know that he was trying to be patient and understanding instead of bursting out in rage and annoyance. “You’re misunderstanding me!”  
“Then explain yourself. Quick” The girl pursed her lips tightly together in discomfort and harshly observed him as she angrily crossed her arms over her chest.  
“I’m convinced that there’s something strange about you… different…” Frowning and fixing his caramel eyes on her as though he would be able to read them and find out what she was thinking, Stiles made a pause. “I don’t know what, I just know now that it’s nothing to be afraid of”  
Catori finally relaxed, letting out a resigned sigh.  
“Fine, I can… accept that… I guess”  
“So are we okay?” The boy smiled a little, hopeful and excited.  
“I’m still mad at you, but I forgive you, yeah” Catori nodded, trying to appear as emotionless as she could even though she felt relieved to be forgiving him. Truth was she didn’t want to be mad at him despite that tiny part of her that resentfully reminded her of what he did.  
Letting out a joyful chuckle, Stiles jumped on the spot once, earning up to his spastic and fidgety nature, and threw his arms around her. As he hugged her tightly against his chest, her expression turned to an unamused one.  
“That doesn’t mean I want you to hug me, you nerd” Catori deadpanned, pushing him a little.  
“Oh, sorry” Immediately, he let go of her and put his hands on her shoulders to position himself slightly away from her. “Just one more thing”  
“Yeah?”  
“I don’t mean to be annoying, I just want to insist… I’m sorry”  
“About what exactly?”  
“I was a bit of a jerk to you… in general… and I wanted to apologize” Stiles was staring at the floor in shame. “You didn’t deserve all the crap I gave you”  
Moved, Catori opened her mouth and was about to say something, but Stiles hadn’t finished, so she closed her mouth and waited to see what else he had to say.  
“Now that you know about the supernatural stuff in Beacon Hills and about George and all, you probably have an idea of why I was trying to protect Scott and everyone. But that isn’t really an excuse, huh?”  
Stiles sighed and briefly looked up at her, but just looked down again in embarrassment as soon as his glance met with hers.  
“Stiles…” She mumbled, the taste of his name on her mouth for the first time felt strange. Or at least, his name mentioned without mockery or sarcasm. But she didn’t want to call him ‘Stilinski’ anymore.  
“It’s just crazy in here, and I wanted to keep my friends from getting hurt, because Scott is too nice and he trusts everyone, and that often puts us in danger even if he didn’t mean it and…”  
“Stiles…” Catori noticed how he nervously rambled, so she tried to shut him up even though she found it mildly endearing.  
“I still think there’s something strange about you, but it doesn’t mean you’re evil. Strange doesn’t have to be bad”  
“You nerd!” Catori exclaimed, causing him to stop talking and look at her. “Enough”  
Restless, Stiles waited to see her reaction. He was ready for anything, even for a slap or a punch in the face. He was still surprised she hadn’t done it before. So he also expected tears, shouts or a kick in the balls even. He knew Catori could be fierce. Especially with him.  
But instead, Catori offered a hand for him to shake. He was too taken aback to react at first and watched her outstretched hand in shock.  
“Come on, let’s start over. Deal?”  
Stiles blinked and nodded as he shook her hand.  
“Deal!”  
“You owe me one, though” Catori just told him gravely as they broke the handshake.  
“Fair enough” The boy replied, still amazed by her mature reaction.  
“Great” The girl showed him a mildly sarcastic smile to remind him that she was still annoyed at him despite her forgiveness. “Now that’s settled, I have to go. See you around”  
She didn’t have to go, but she thought giving him some time alone to think it all through would be a good idea. Catori wanted him to realize that she had given him a second chance that he shouldn’t mess up.  
“Okay…” He quietly said as she turned around and faced her back to him.  
Just after she took the first step, Catori had to stop walking when she suddenly felt so weak that she had to lean in the wall not to fall.  
“Stiles…” She whispered, calling him for help. A strong feeling of anguish had overcame her and made her feel dizzy and sick. Her chest tightened and a heavy invisible weight fell over it, making it harder to breathe.  
“Are you okay?” Stiles was suddenly next to her, wrapping her waist to make sure she didn’t stumble. He observed her in concern.  
“Yeah, I’m just…” She didn’t really know how to explain what she was feeling, because the anxiety came out of nowhere. But Catori pretended to be nonchalant even if the concern grew inside her. “I’m just… tired… I haven’t been sleeping too well these days”  
That wasn’t a total lie either, because she had too many things to worry about during the night and that kept her awake. Not only the nightmares.  
But the true reason of her unwell was that little voice in her head that upset her. Rushed thoughts of what happened the last time she felt something like that made it even harder to breathe.  
What if something bad happened again? What if she could actually predict danger? Last time Scott got badly hurt and she didn’t want to go through something like that ever again.   
“Are you sure?” He worriedly asked again, staring at her.  
“Yeah” Catori repeated, finally looking up at him after averting her gaze from his. As she stared at him too, she realized she didn’t really want to leave him alone. What if it was him now that got hurt?  
Catori felt the urge to call Lydia, to ask her if she was having a bad feeling too. To find out if Scott was okay, if everyone was okay.  
“Can you… take me outside?” Even if she was indeed feeling weak, she had to put her pride aside to keep him around and make sure he was safe. “I think I need some fresh air”  
“Sure” Still holding her by the waist, Stiles walked with her to the nearest exit as she hold on to his shoulder. However, it was obvious that the boy was confused. Or maybe just extremely worried.  
Just as they were almost there, a whole different kind of feeling took over her.  
“I have a deja vu…” Catori said to herself, feeling like that moment was familiar, like she had lived it before.  
“What was that?” He asked her in curiosity as he helped her sit down.  
“I-I said that I’m feeling a little better” The girl lied, battling with herself between the pride and the concern.  
She didn’t want to appear weak even though she was positive that something bad would happen. It was the exact same feeling she had right before Scott got attacked, and she wanted to keep everyone safe. The problem was she had no idea who was in danger, so the least she could do was to keep Stiles safe for the time being.  
“Great, I’ll go then” Stiles proceeded to keep on walking, which increased the bad feeling that started to clutch on to her stomach. “I’ll be in there if you-“  
“No!” She sternly said, determined to stay where she was.  
“What do you mean ‘no’? We need to find out more stuff, so I have to-“ Stiles let go of Catori and started to walk without her.  
“Don’t go” She just said to him, tightly holding on to his upper arm, but her eyes were hard and cold. She was just trying to hide the fact that she was terrified.  
“Why?” Stiles, however, noted the obvious fear in her green eyes, which were almost watery. He had never seen her so scared, he never thought he would see her feeling so vulnerable. She probably had a good reason to be so scared, not to want him to go.  
The girl felt an even stronger feeling of deja vu with each passing second. She had no memory of that moment but still though she had lived it before, it somehow felt familiar. And it felt wrong, like something horrible would take place any moment.  
“I-I don’t know” Catori nervously gulped and tugged at his arm. “Something really bad will happen if you go back in there. Just don’t ask and stay here, okay?”  
Catori had the feeling that Stiles would end up badly hurt or even dead if he carried on, and she couldn’t let that happen.  
“Okay…” He lowly mumbled, taking a step back to show her he would comply.  
Relieved, Catori let out a shaky breath and relaxed. The urgent feeling eased and the sickness disappeared. It definitely was Stiles.  
She still felt weak, though, as Stiles observed her carefully.  
“Why do you care so much?” He was frowning, fascinated by how caring she was even though he used to believe she hated him.  
“Just because, shut up” She turned around and supported herself in the wall as she slowly made her way out of there.   
Stiles still watched her, trying to figure out the mystery that she was to him.  
She then stopped dead in her tracks, noticing that the feeling still didn’t quite fade. There was still something wrong.  
Of a sudden, while they were walking along the hall, the glasses of the windows exploded and the both of them screamt. Even though a third scream was heard, one that didn’t sound scared at all.


	12. Stability

Were they glad that they weren’t in that hallway anymore… Still, shards of glass flew all around and yet endangered them. Luckily, Catori had been fast enough to yank Stiles with her while she threw him out of the way. Because of the force she desperately used to bring the both of them down, they landed on the floor, holding onto each other and screaming.  
The boy put an arm around her to protect her from the pieces of glass that were falling upon them. Startled, Catori huddled closer to his body and hid her face on his chest, tightly gripping his shirt to keep him close.  
When the glass rain ceased, they cautiously glanced at each other, their hearts beating fast and breathing rapidly.  
“That was close” Stiles let out a nervous laugh.  
Catori slowly stood up and looked around her to analyze the damage. Huge pieces of glass were all around them, scattered across the ground. They would have stabbed them to death if they had been standing there. Thinking that her bad feeling was once again right and that they cheated an almost certain death, Catori felt herself growing breathless again.  
“I need to call Lydia” Even though her hands were shaking, Catori reached on her pocket to pick up her phone. “I have to make sure everyone else is okay”  
An irrational fear had taken over her. What if Stiles wasn’t the only one that had been in danger? What if because she saved him it meant that someone else was hurt? What if-?  
“Hey, relax, everything’s fine” Being more used to all those strange things happening in Beacon Hills, Stiles tried not to make a big deal out of it.  
He covered her phone with a hand, but she quickly turned around to face her back to him and keep him away.  
“Shut your mouth for once, Stiles!” As his friend tried and failed at dialing Lydia’s number, her eyes kept looking up to the broken glass.  
He noticed how she was struggling to breathe and he imagined it was because she was scared out of her mind. So much that she couldn’t even hide it, no matter how bad she wanted to. It was then when Stiles realized what was going on and why the girl was so agitated. She knew something was going to happen. And if it weren’t for her, since she insisted on staying outside, he might had ended up seriously hurt. Catori had definitely been scared for him as well.  
“Okay, how about you give me the phone and calm down first?” The boy tried to make his voice sound soft and calm as he cautiously reached out to take the phone away from her.  
“Back off!” She shouted at him, continuing to fiddle around with her phone.  
“Wow, easy there, Cat!” He actually backed off and put his hands up in surrender. “It’s me, it’s okay”  
Sighing and giving him the phone in resignation, she dropped her head in defeat.  
“I-I’m sorry, I’m just so fed up that we can’t get a break”  
“Tell me about it” Stiles snickered, managing a sarcastic grin.  
“I’m fine, I just need a minute to calm down” Catori deeply breathed in and out, trying to ease her nerves.  
“Yes, you do that” He agreed, placing a hesitant hand on her back. “In fact, I think you need to go back home and forget about everything, okay?”  
“But I want to make sure everyone is okay, and I think we all need to talk about what happened” She complained, staring at him with a mix of harshness and softness.  
“We’ll do one thing” He licked his lips restlessly. “I will talk to them for you and message you later”  
“No, you don’t understand!” Feeling anxious and helpless, she swatted him away. “Just before we found out Scott had been attacked, I got this same feeling!”  
“What are you talking about?” The boy squinted as he stared at her, even though deep down he knew what she meant.  
“We almost got killed, Stiles!” She made an arm motion that contained all the broken glass spread all over the ground.  
He just stared at her silently for a moment before he sighed and rolled his eyes. The boy did his best to subtly change the subject.  
“Well, if I don’t take you home you’re gonna have a nervous breakdown or something” He calmly reached out to grab her by the wrists and stop her from picking the phone again. “So we’re leaving, okay?”  
“You’re being so nice that it makes me think you want to get rid of me”  
At first he just chuckled, now finding amusing her usual sassy but unfriendly behavior. He didn’t expect her to be all cheery after how their relationship started out. But seeing as the girl didn’t change her alert and unamused demeanor, he changed the expression and turned more serious.  
“Cat…” Stiles clicked his tongue and heaved another sigh. “Just get your ass to my Jeep and let me take you home”  
Observing him for a few seconds and noticing his insistent and somewhat smug expression, she pursed her lips tightly together.  
“Fine” Catori didn’t give in because of Stiles, but because deep down she really felt like she needed to go home and forget about everything. She wanted to go home.  
She just couldn’t wait until she stabilized herself in that crazy town. She looked forward to the moment in which being surrounded by werewolves and random dangers wasn’t so cripplingly frightening. Even if he was obviously shaken up and mildly scared himself, Stiles was definitely used to crazy shit going on.  
“Want me to hold your hand?” He mumbled cheekily as they walked over to the parking lot.  
“Stop being such a little shit” The girl simply replied in a deadpan voice.  
“Yes, ma’am” He grinned as he followed her, realizing she was walking faster to leave him behind.  
*  
Catori lied in her bed without moving a muscle. Her green eyes were locked on the ceiling above her, her limbs sprawled out. Only the music playing in her laptop distracted her from her own thoughts.  
A knock sounded on the closed door of her room, making her sigh. Something told her it was Stiles again.  
“Go home and leave me alone, nerd!” That time she didn’t mean it cruelly but as some sort of secretive mean horseplay.  
He knocked again and just as Catori was sighing in annoyance and rolling off bed, the door opened.  
“Wrong person” Lydia stood there, smirking as she leaned her hip on the door frame.  
“It’s you” Feeling pleasantly surprised by her presence, her friend smiled. “Hi”  
“I see you and Stiles get along so much better now” The redhead sarcastically said, walking into the room and taking a good look around it.  
“What are you doing here, Dee?” She chuckled, sitting back on her bed.  
Lydia also grinned at Catori’s new nickname for her, actually being fond of it.  
“A little birdie told me about what happened and that I should visit because you were upset about it” Casually sitting down by her side, the redhead observed her.  
“I’m not upset” Catori shrugged not so convincingly. “Your source is not reliable”  
“Even if he’s the one who was there with you?” As they stared at each other, seizing each other, they remained still. Finally, Catori rolled her eyes and feebly fell backwards on the bed.  
“He doesn’t make it easy for me to like him” She mumbled under her breath. But her friend heard the comment and grinned in amusement.  
“Why don’t you tell me what’s going on, Catori?”  
“Because you’ll think I’m crazy, that’s why”  
“Try me”  
Determined and daring, Catori sat back up and took a deep breath before she began. She was almost positive that Lydia would think she was exaggerating or paranoid. Even if it was pretty obvious that Lydia herself was some sort of intuitive supernatural creature. But Catori didn’t want to think about it at that moment in order to not get overwhelmed.  
“I had the same feeling that when Scott got attacked, but this time I had a freaking deja vu” The girl stated, challenging her to disagree.  
“Okay…”  
“And you know why? Because I dreamt about it, Lydia” Rubbing her hands over her face to avoid the headache that began to settle in her skull, Catori let out a soft sigh. “I dreamt that Stiles was in danger, but I didn’t remember it at first because I tend to block all these nightmares”  
Lydia frowned a little and restlessly combed the ends of her hair. She remained silent until she came up with a valid reply to that.  
“I just want to remind you that I felt Scott was in danger too” The redhead tried to comfort her. “I don’t think you’re crazy”  
“Can’t we just talk about something else, please?” Catori shuddered. “It’s creeping me out”  
“Okay, what do you want to talk about?” Lydia recovered her bubbly and spry aptitude by slightly bouncing on the bed and crossing her legs.  
“How about you explain to me why you all seem to love Stiles?” He was the first thing that came to mind, and it was as good subject as any. “It really slips my understanding”  
“You like him, don’t lie” The redhead teased her a little, nudging her in the ribs.  
“No, I don’t” Her friend replied with an offended huff. “I want to get him back for what he did to me”  
When she glanced at Lydia, a mildly evil grin was taking over her red lips.  
“Maybe you can”  
“I’m listening” Catori squinted in curiosity.  
“How about we go shopping?” Lydia’s smirk widened. “Take him with us”  
*  
The next day, the pack met at Derek’s loft to discuss some issues. Stiles had told Catori over a text, just like he promised.  
Stilinski had informed everyone about the incident and told them that they needed to gather and talk about it all. So there they all were: Scott, Kira, Liam, Stiles, Lydia, Malia, Derek and Catori.  
Everyone chatted and discussed in little groups. Scott and Derek, Catori and Liam, Malia and Kira, Stiles and Lydia.  
They all spoke basically about the same subject, but on different points of view. Scott and Derek were trying to decide if their pack was threatened by the other one or if those had been isolated attacks and if it meant they wouldn’t happen again, but it did.  
Catori and Liam just discussed about what supernatural creatures could be inside that pack. There were obviously werewolves, but Liam explained that they had faced far more of them.  
Malia and Kira assured that, as a werecoyote and a Kitsune, they could defend themselves against that evil pack that had threatened their safety.  
And Stiles and Lydia were just talking about the last addition to the inner circle.  
“I don’t think you should tell Catori that you’re a banshee yet” He was telling her, glancing over at the girl every now and then before looking back at the redhead.  
“Why not? She’s my friend, she deserves to know” Lydia made a little pout. “I want her to know!”  
“She’s too overwhelmed” Stiles whisper-yelled. “I think she has enough with Scott being a werewolf and being attacked by a pack of evil ones”  
Lydia frowned and looked over her shoulder to Catori. It was obvious that their friend was overwhelmed and was doing her best to get used to it all and hide her restlessness as well.  
“You’re right…” She obliged. “I won’t tell her”  
“I think it’s for the best” He reassured her, understanding why she wanted to tell her. Lydia just nodded and softly smiled at him, and so did he.  
For a few moments, everyone kept talking amongst them in a chaos of mumbles and voices until Derek put some order.  
“Alright!” He shouted once he had finished talking with Scott.  
“Do you think she’s doing okay?” Lydia whispered so only Stiles could hear her. While the racket began to die down, he glanced at Catori and realized she didn’t look okay. She was a strong girl, but she seemed to be exhausted and upset.  
“Derek, do you know you look like the Grumpy Cat?” Stiles said out of the blue, just timing it so no one was talking anymore.  
Catori couldn’t help but to snort in laughter and cover her mouth to hide her wide grin. Stiles looked over his shoulder at her and smiled proudly to himself. Meanwhile, Lydia and Scott exchanged a glance, knowing that their friend had said that deliberately to make her laugh. He wanted to cheer her up.  
“Shut up” Derek deadpanned, crossing his strong arms over his sculptured chest.  
“Are you two related? Cat and cat…” Stilinski insisted, pointing one hand to Derek and the other to Catori.  
The both of them slapped him away at the same time, which caused a collective wave of low chuckles all over the room.  
“Stiles” He said in a threatening voice. “Stop being stupid and shut up, or I’ll throw you out”  
“Okay…” The boy mumbled as he hid behind Lydia, who tried her best to keep her smile hidden.  
“Alright!” Derek exclaimed loud and clear, catching everyone’s attention. “Let’s summarize what we know so far”  
“Not much…” Scott sighed tiredly. “Just that the other pack has a problem with us”  
“Yep, wasn’t fun almost getting killed” Stiles agreed, tightly pursing his lips together as he sulkily crossed his arms.  
“I feel like everything’s connected” Lydia frowned, getting serious since Stiles didn’t seem to be too eager to let it go.  
“What do you mean?” Kira asked, frowning herself.  
“The museum…” Catori guessed, already having some sort of mental connection with Lydia. She imagined her train of thought. Her friend nodded since that was exactly what she was thinking about.  
“What about the missing girls?” Malia added, catching Stiles’ attention.  
“Yes!” He exclaimed, pointing a finger at her with a spastic movement. “I’ve always thought the pack is after that!”  
“Why would that pack be interested in kidnapping girls?” Liam frowned, confused. “Don’t they just kill them? They appear dead after a while”  
Catori averted her gaze from her friends at the thought that she had been the only one to escape that situation. Although she knew that if they had actually taken her for real, she would be dead right now.  
“Does your dad know if there’s a pattern?” Scott asked his best friend, who was nibbling at his bottom lip restlessly.  
“No, there are no patterns” He sighed with resignation. “Just that they’re girls”  
Despite his words, Stiles sent Catori a subtle smirk as he glanced at her with the corner of his eye. She saw, and frowned at the gesture, but didn’t say anything about it.  
Surprisingly, Derek had done the same even if she hadn’t noticed him.  
“I think there is a pattern” He stated gravely, his eyes fixed on Catori. Stiles’ jaw dropped when he realized what the ‘grumpy cat’ was thinking.  
“What?” The girl felt his eyes on her and couldn’t help but to sound offended because of it.  
“One's an incident, two's a coincidence, and three's a pattern, but four…” Stiles mumbled once he realized of the pattern Derek was talking about.  
“What four?”  
“The girls, the museum robbery, Scott being attacked and then Stiles…” Lydia was quick enough to see it too. All eyes turned to Catori when they figured out what all of those incidents had in common.  
“You’re the pattern!” Malia exclaimed, pointing at her in an accusatory way.  
For just a second, Stiles had second thoughts. Everything indicated that she was involved with the pack. What if his first instinct to doubt her wasn’t so wrong after all? Maybe his intuition hadn’t failed him. Maybe she was indeed a spy, maybe all had been an act and… But no, as he stared at her and saw the clean look in her green eyes, he slightly shook his head to himself. No, Catori wasn’t evil, she was their friend. He could see that now. Hell, she had proved it many times already.  
“I knew there was something weird about you” He replied in awe, observing her.  
“Stop it, all of you!” Catori angrily shouted, ready to leave that place as soon as possible if things turned.  
Scott and Derek could notice her heart speeding up, so the first one intervened.  
“Look, we don’t think you consciously have something to do with it” He tried to comfort her, showing her a sweet and comforting smile. “Nor that you are bad either”  
“But there’s something going on here!” Stiles complained, slightly mad. “With the robbery, the missing girls, these attacks, you!”  
“Are you actually going back to that, Stilinski?” Catori challenged him, hiding her fear with anger.  
“No one is accusing you of anything, calm down” Derek walked closer to her and tried to calm her with a hand motion.  
“Good” She stubbornly replied.  
“But do you know anything we don’t?” Since Derek hadn’t spoken to her like the rest of the pack had, he needed a little something to make sure she was okay. The approval of the rest of the pack was enough for him, but he also wanted to see for himself.  
The girl took a deep breath and held his stare calmly, acquiring a more relaxed attitude instead of a defensive one.  
“No, I told you everything I know” She responded, remaining calm.  
Derek didn’t hear her heart missing any beats or speeding up, which meant that she wasn’t lying. Because in spite of her stubborn and sassy nature he could feel like she wasn’t a great liar. Like Stiles was, for example.  
Nodding seriously, he just took a few steps back to stop imposing himself onto her. Then he dragged his eyes away from her.  
“Despite her, it all must have a reason to be” Derek shook his head, hating to be feeling so helpless and lost. “We have to make sense out of it all”  
“First of all” Malia said gravely. “Why would they want that triquetra symbol?”  
“We just know what Catori told us” Scott explained, absently motioning a hand towards her. “That it makes a connection between three principles”  
“But it must have some sort of power” The girl intervened, scowling because they couldn’t decipher so many mysteries at once. “They wouldn’t want a random antique just because it’s pretty”  
“We need help” Derek summed up, apparently calm despite his tired sigh. “But until we figure something out, we have to stay alert”  
“You don’t have to tell me twice” Stiles huffed, cringing at the memory of glass breaking and shards flying everywhere.  
“Derek…?” Scott asked, though, piercing him with his eyes. As everyone glanced at the older boy, they realized he looked absent. Maybe even shifty, like there was something else on his mind.  
He dragged his intense green eyes away from that random spot he had been staring at in deep thought and let them land on Scott. Derek didn’t reply, but had a questioning look on his face.  
“Is there something on your mind?” Scott continued, staring at him.  
“Yeah, you look like you know something we don’t” Stiles helped him, giving him a silly stare.  
“I just keep thinking…” He scowled. “That Norman, the alleged alpha of the pack… he’s too weak and hopeless to be the actual alpha”  
“What are you saying?” Kira questioned him, while all of them waited for his reply.  
“The actual alpha that is taking care of all of these things… the kidnappings, the museum robbery, the attacks towards us… they seem much stronger and smarter” Even though his voice sounded flat as usual, there was a hint of concern to it.  
“So?” Lydia asked.  
“I think… there are two packs”  
*  
With the promise that he would ask Deaton for help, Derek dismissed the gathering. He warned everyone to be careful before they left, though.  
Derek also told Catori that neither he nor any of them really thought that she was dangerous or was knowingly meddled in the other pack’s business. Even if it was Scott who insisted on it. Because he wanted Catori to hear it from Derek’s mouth.  
So after that, the girl was about to leave for home and try to put aside all for a while when Stiles stopped her.  
“Catori” He gently held her by the arm, wondering if what he said earlier really bothered her.  
“What” She replied with a neutral tone.  
“I have something for you” Rummaging through his backpack, he grabbed something from it. “I saw it and it reminded me of you”  
Genuinely curious as to what it was going to be, Catori waited until he offered it to her. Her mouth was left wide open in surprise when she saw the object.  
It was a little wooden totem shaped like a tiger. It was oddly beautiful as well as wild, definitely something very special.  
“I thought it was perfect, because your name is Native American, right?” He smirked a little because of the fact that he knew that information. “It means spirit”  
Catori grinned, pleasantly surprised by his knowledge.  
“That’s right” With gentle hands, she gingerly picked the totem up from his. It was as big as her whole hand, from the base of the palm to the tip of her fingers. The totem was incredibly dainty to her.  
“And tigers are technically cats, so… Catori… Cat” Stiles managed an adorable goofy smile and she chuckled in response.  
“Why are you being so nice to me?” She wondered aloud even if she tightly held on to his gift, internally treasuring it. “Giving me all this stuff and all…”  
“Look, I don’t need to have Scott’s werewolfy senses to know you’re tense around me because” Restlessly, Stiles shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I just want to make sure everything’s okay between us”  
“Is that all?” Catori coolly raised one eyebrow.  
“It’s also a thank you for saving me back there” Embarrassed and not ready to show he was, Stiles timidly hung his head low. “I’ll try to keep you safe too”  
“You’re just trying to make it up” She decided to tease him a little. Or annoy him. Both worked.  
“Well, yeah” He huffed, as if it were obvious. “But I want to make sure you’re safe for myself, not just for you”  
“You’re just saying that”  
“Not helping”  
“Anything else you wanted to say then?” Catori tested him, somewhat smugly.  
“Yeah, if it makes you feel better, you can slap me or something” Stiles gulped, which made her think that he was sure she would.  
“As tempting as that sounds” Catori began to say, her voice dripping sarcasm. “It wouldn’t be as satisfying as slowly torturing you”  
“Funny!” He let out a few guffaws of the fakest laughter.  
“If you’re done being Mr. Sensitive Guy” She rejoiced in teasing him for a bit longer. “I’m leaving now”  
“Want a ride?” The boy offered kindly.  
“No, thanks” She shook her head. “I need to walk and be alone for a while”  
Understanding that need, he just nodded. Before Catori turned around, however, she sent him a small smile. Then he observed her walk away.  
*  
It was such a tiring day that when she arrived home, all Catori wanted to do was lie down and go to sleep. She would definitely doze off as soon as her head hit the pillow.  
At least, it finally felt like she was coming to terms with it all. She had sorted things out with Scott, Stiles gave her a gift to make up and it began to feel like they could be friends for real, the pack had let her stay during one of their meetings and discuss things with her and no one thought she was evil. They trusted her.  
The girl still had no idea why everything seemed to have something to do with her, but it did. Stiles was right… Just that one time.  
But Catori didn’t really want to dwell on that, she had faced it earlier that day and she preferred to forget about it now that it finally felt like she had reached some stability. Things could be much worse.  
She was about to go to sleep when she noticed a certain notebook sitting in her bedside table. Catori was already in her pajamas, covered by the blankets and ready to close her eyes and try to doze off. However, knowing that she was likely to stay awake for many more hours, she picked it up. Besides, it might help with the nightmares that involved supernatural creatures. After all, like Stiles himself had said, maybe if she knew about them she wouldn’t be so scared. And she’d know how to fight them.  
Taking a deep breath before opening it, Catori proceeded to read it.  
In the first page it said ‘werewolf’ in Stiles’ messy but legible handwriting. Immediately, the girl thought about Scott and George. The both of them were werewolves, but so different.  
Scott was still a puppy even if he could show his claws and fangs. But he wanted to help people, to protect them. Unlike George, who preferred to use his abilities to attack them and terrorize Beacon Hills.  
Trying to get into more detail, she kept reading attentively.  
__**Werewolf**  
-Hairy features. Fangs. Claws.  
-Eyes colored red, gold or blue. Red means alpha, gold means beta and blue means a beta that has stopped being innocent, who has killed someone.  
-There’s also another kind of werewolf, called omega. This one doesn’t belong into a pack and hence is less powerful.  
-Werewolves can hear, smell and see better. That’s why they can track a scent or catch’s someone heartbeat, especially when it speeds up when they lie. They also heal fast and are very agile as well as strong.  
-Werewolves are ‘allergic’ to wolfsbane, obviously… Mountain ash can be used against them by using it as some sort of a magical barrier to keep them away.  
Even if all of this was very useful to Catori, she couldn’t help but to roll her eyes and smile at Stiles’ redaction.  
She kept eyeing the page, trying to make sure she didn’t miss anything. She noticed something about Derek scribbled around there and the word ‘sourwolf’ written right next to the name. From that she deduced he was one as well. He gave alpha vibes for sure.  
The girl turned the page and tried to read more. She remembered having read that before when the notebook was in her power for the first time, but now she could pay more attention to it. So she continued with the next page.  
__  
**Banshee** ~~(We don’t know too much about banshees)~~  
-Psychic. Intuition. Powerful scream. Harbinger of death.  
-Even if most of supernatural creatures are trapped by the mountain ash, banshees can cross it.  
-Their scream can be used as a weapon.  
-They hear voices that guide them through the supernatural events. 

__**Kitsune** (from Japanese lore)  
-Japanese fox. Longevity. Healing.  
-Different types of Kitsune (we just know about two, but there’s more):  
-Thunder. Power over electricity.  
~~-Nogitsune, Dark Kitsune or Void (all bad, all very very bad)~~  
-Celestial  
-Wild  
-Ocean  
-They can control Onis with their tales. Their abilities falter when they are in a telluric current.  
Catori wanted to learn more about Kitsunes and other supernatural creatures like wendigos or werecoyotes, as she had glimpsed at before in the pages. But she was so exhausted that she fell asleep without even having the time to close the notebook and put it back on its place.  
*  
When she lunged forward in her sleep that night, just waking up from yet another nightmare, Catori tried to calm down. But something lingered on her mind.  
Her dream was about Lydia, and she was screaming. Catori had a feeling like that wasn’t just a stupid dream, but it was actually trying to tell her something.  
Moved by a hunch, Catori rushed to get Stiles’ bestiary and thumbed through the pages as fast as she could until she found the one that she was looking for.  
Banshee. Intuition, psychic, scream.  
Lydia.  
Lydia was a banshee.


	13. U.S.T

Catori grinned in amusement, trying not to laugh out loud, when Lydia stacked yet another dress in Stiles’ outstretched arms.  
“This one will look good on you” The redhead grinned at her.  
“You’re evil” The boy scowled at them. “I hope you’re happy torturing me like this”  
“Are you telling me you’re not having lots of fun shopping with us?” Said the brown-haired girl.  
“So much fun that I don’t think I can take it” He replied through clenched teeth.  
“You were the one that agreed to do it” Catori shrugged innocently. “You said…”  
“I know, I know” Stiles rolled his eyes so hard that they nearly got stuck in his skull. “I’m making it up to you, but c’mon!”  
Lydia and Catori just exchanged a brief glance and laughed a little.  
“Do you prefer me staying mad at you?” The latter smirked in cruel satisfaction and the boy just pouted but remained silent.  
The redhead held Catori’s hand and took her to look for even more clothes.  
“This is my personal hell…” Stiles mumbled to himself, resigned yet annoyed.  
“Oh, this one is perfect!” Lydia quickly showed it to her friend and put it on the boy’s arm before she could object.  
“Isn’t it a little… tight?” Catori wasn’t really used to wearing dresses, not to mention tight ones. “And short?”  
“Just try it on, honey” Her friend playfully winked at her. “And thank me later”  
“Okay, one more dress and I won’t be able to see where I’m going” Stiles continued to complain as he craned his neck trying to see over the mountain of dresses he held on his arms.  
“Fine…” The redhead rolled her eyes. “Let’s try them on and see more later”  
“Thank you” He blurted out, still sulkily.  
The two girls walked over to the changing room, with Stiles following between annoyed grunts and complaints under his breath.  
“Why are there so many dresses and skirts?” Catori whined, looking over her shoulder to Stiles carrying them.  
“Why are there so many clothes?” He reformulated.  
Lydia smirked at both their reactions.  
“Because you need to learn how to dress yourself”   
“But jeans are comfortable! And loose t-shirts!”  
They heard Stiles say something else, but ignored him figuring it was yet another resentful complaint.  
“Stop whining you two” Lydia pursed her lips and rolled her eyes a little.   
Grabbing the clothes she chose for herself from the pile the boy carried, she walked into a changing room and drew the curtain with a swift movement that she accompanied with a smirk.  
“I was excited about shopping until I found out she would make me try dresses on” Catori sighed as she took her own clothes from his arms.  
“Oh, I’m sorry… Are you having a bad time?” He was bitter alright.  
She just thought he was lucky both her arms were holding her clothes, he was saved from a punch in the shoulder. And not a soft one either.  
Catori resigned herself to changing her wardrobe, thinking that maybe she would look decent enough in a dress. She decided to start with the one she was dreading the most: the black and tight one. Quickly, she put it on and stared at her reflection in the mirror. The girl decided she didn’t look too bad, but wanted a second opinion.  
“Lydia?” Catori called out, turning around as she still looked at herself.  
A few seconds later, the other girl stuck her head to watch the dress, and the brown-haired girl gave her an expectant glare.  
“Show it to Stiles” Were her only words.  
“What?” Catori huffed, thinking it was such a stupid thing to say. Especially for someone as smart as Lydia Martin. “He won’t care!”  
“He will” Again, she smirked as though she knew something she didn’t.  
“Friends are not so bossy with each other, you know?” Catori obliged and walked out of the changing room.  
Stiles was there, sitting in a chair they had been kind enough to put there for people like him. He looked utterly bored as he rested his face on his hand and fiddled around with his phone.  
“What do you think, Stiles?” Lydia asked him for her.  
With obvious resignation, he dragged his glance away from the screen and looked up to Catori. For a moment he watched her, his mouth agape, his eyes never leaving her. Then Lydia smirked and piped up.  
“Doesn’t she look great?”  
“Um… yes” Stiles cleared his throat and nodded. “It looks, uh… It doesn’t look bad, it looks… pretty good…”  
He nibbled on his bottom lip and Catori briefly glanced at Lydia with a grin. Her friend didn’t look back even if it was obvious she felt Catori’s eyes on her.  
“Great, you’re taking that one then” Finally, her green eyes fell over the brown haired girl. “I’m paying”  
Before Catori went back in to try another garment on, she looked over to Stiles. He averted his gaze and his cheeks were a very subtle but still noticeable tone of pink.  
*  
“You actually took him shopping last weekend?!” Scott laughed when the girls told him about it.  
“It was pretty fun” Catori nodded, smiling at the memory.  
“And he helped us pick up clothes” By the tone on Lydia’s voice, it was obvious that she wouldn’t forget how Stiles looked at Catori with that black dress on.   
A thought popped in the latter’s head, which she felt silly to realize just then because it took her long enough. Was Lydia trying to get them together? Or was it just an attempt to help them become friends?  
“By the way, not cool” Catori told her friend. “What was that about?”  
“I just wanted you to have a male opinion, that’s all” She innocently replied. Her friend only forgot about it because Scott was right there and she didn’t want to discuss that in front of him. It would be too embarrassing.  
“Yeah, right” Catori rolled her eyes with a barely audible sigh.  
“But it was some serious U.S.T” Lydia smirked in that mysterious way that both annoyed and intrigued her friend.  
“What?”  
“Unresolved sexual ten-“ Lydia was interrupted by the girl’s intense death glare, so she rephrased her explanation. “Unhappily shopping together”  
Not that affected by the glare of loathing, the redhead grinned.  
“Lydia, I’m going to kill you” Catori’s words were low in a whisper, but she said them in a deadpan voice that showed she was not amused.  
“What are you girls saying?” Scott, who had been distracted as he looked for Stiles, looked back at them with his usual friendly smile.  
“Nothing” Catori rushed to say, dreading the thought of him finding out about their conversation. Lydia’s grin widened and acquired a smug hint to it.  
“There he is” The boy smiled at the sight of his best friend, and the others followed him as he went to his encounter. Stiles didn’t notice him at first as his head was shoved in the insides of the locker for whatever reason.  
“Stilinski!” Catori saw the opportunity and took it, she shouted at him and slapped her hands on his shoulders.  
“Son of a-“ The aforesaid swore, hitting his head on top of the locker. Everyone laughed a little and the reveal of Stiles’ reddened face only made it worse. However, when his eyes landed on Catori and he noticed she was who had startled him, his expression shifted from murderous anger to resignation.  
“Cat” He deadpanned as he vehemently rubbed on his head where it was sore. “Lovely to see you”  
“Hi” The girl smirked, looking back at Lydia with smugness.  
But Lydia was not convinced, she believed that it had been a proof of playfulness, which meant that deep down they didn’t hate each other. More likely, the opposite.  
“Are you okay?” Scott, who remained unaware of all of the girls’ silent interactions, felt the need to ask him. And more since Stiles kept rubbing his head.  
“Ask the bump that’s gonna appear in a moment” He complained with a scowl directed towards Catori. She just grinned.  
Lydia took compassion on him and gently patted his head.  
“Poor Stiles”  
“What’s up?” The boy slammed his locker shut and walked with them.  
“We have to meet with Derek” Scott explained. “He wants to meet again to discuss some stuff about the other pack”  
“Ugh” His friend replied tiredly. “I’m getting sick of all this crap”  
“When are we meeting him?” Lydia piped up, the sound of her heels resounding around the high school halls. “And where?”  
“After school in his loft” Scott simply replied.  
“And are you going to class now?”   
“Yep”  
“Meet you there then” The redhead slightly tilted her head to the side. “I have two free periods”  
“Okay”  
“See you later”  
“Bye” The brown haired girl fondly held a hand on Lydia’s arm to say goodbye and the strangest thing happened. Catori had to close her eyes and cover her ears when she felt a loud shrieking voice yelling. However, she knew it wasn’t physically there, she was aware of the fact that it sounded in her head. And a word suddenly popped in her head. Banshee.  
It was the confirmation of her hunch, of her theory that Lydia was one. Why then would that strange feeling happen just when she touched her?  
“Are you coming then?” Scott was staring at her in confusion.  
“Was the bell really that loud for you?” Even though Stiles’ voice was dripping sarcasm as usual, there was a very subtle restlessness portrayed in his eyes. Maybe Scott and Lydia hadn’t noticed, and maybe he was just overthinking, but he noticed something about Catori. She looked… jumpy.  
“I just…” She stuttered, only realizing what he was talking about when she saw students going in and walking out of the classes in the shift.  
“Cat?” Stiles frowned and stared at her, definitely noticing something off about her behavior.   
And all of a sudden, Catori was losing her balance and some arms managed to wrap her frame before she fell to the floor. She felt weak and light headed and everything was too dark. The girl realized her eyes were closed, so she slowly opened them and looked around. Stiles and Scott’s faces welcomed her, but their expression were filled with deep concern and a bit of fear.  
“You okay?” The first one asked her lowly, and Catori noticed it was him who had caught her first despite Scott’s werewolf agility and speed.  
“What happened?” She just couldn’t understand why she felt so disorientated out of the blue.  
“I think you blacked out” Scott placed a hand on hers, worried.  
“I-I don’t…” The girl felt a very small current of air hitting her in the neck, making her hair float up and down. It took her a few seconds to realize it was Stiles’ breath on her skin and that he was gasping. She didn’t need to have Scott’s powers to figure out his heart was beating like crazy.  
“You don’t remember what you said?” The boy cautiously let go of her to make sure if she could stand on her own feet. Despite his arms not being around her anymore, her hands were on his shoulders until she took notice of this and very slowly put them away.  
“I said something?” Catori frowned, utterly lost. “I don’t remember saying anything…”  
“You went catatonic and mumbled something like ‘beware of Chandrika’” Stiles frowned, trying to give some sense to that sentence. “In a freaky voice too, you scared the crap out of us”  
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Scott noticed her hands were shaking, so he gently held them.  
“Yeah” She nodded, but thanked the warmth and safety her friend’s touch brought her. “I’m… I’m fine, I promise”  
The girl took a step and wobbled a little, so Stiles rushed to extend his arms just in case he had to support her again.  
“If I hadn’t held you up, you would have fallen face first on the floor” The boy worriedly commented. He then realized his hands were back on her hips just in case, so he retrieved them.  
“Talk about U.S.T, huh?” Scott chuckled a bit awkwardly to relief the tension, which told Catori that their female friend had tattled to him.  
“What?” She stared at him in annoyance.  
“Un-unwanted supernatural… trouble” The werewolf mumbled shyly.  
Catori just dedicated him a brief and not too harsh tired glance.  
“I’m fine” She changed the subject. “Let’s go to class already”  
Scott and Stiles were obviously worried by her odd blackout and by the random and bizarre words she spoke. But they knew the girl perfectly, and were aware of the fact that she was too pigheaded and would not dwell on the subject.  
*  
Even though he displayed his usual calm and imposing demeanor, it was obvious that Derek was troubled as he explained his new findings on the rival pack that had become a threat to them.  
“I’ve managed to stay in the shadows until now, but the fact that they tried to kill you-“ Derek was saying.  
“Again” Catori grinned sarcastically, and it turned into a more genuine smile when she noticed Stiles had opened his mouth, probably to say the same thing. Even if under her sarcasm the girl was trying to hide the crippling fear, unlike him. Or maybe just like him, who knew?  
“It means that they’re on to us” The older boy kept on talking, completely ignoring their bitterness.  
“Do we know anything else about them? Anything new?” Scott questioned with a serious expression.  
“Not that I can think of, but that Norman guy is definitely not their leader. He’s from another pack that we don’t have the time to worry about”  
“As long as they’re not dangerous…”  
“What about what they are?” Kira intervened. “Are they werewolves?”  
“No” Derek shook his head gravely. “Not all of them”  
“Do we know what they are?”  
“They are other kind of shifters like werecoyotes, but that’s all I know”  
“And a banshee” Catori added without thinking. She actually regretted saying it even if the information was useful. It implied giving away that she had figured it out on her own. Even if she didn’t know how to explain the way she figured it out in.  
“How do you know?”  
“It makes sense, doesn’t it?” The girl’s eyes flew from Stiles to Scott and then to Derek. “The explosion of glasses, the scream… Those are banshee characteristics, I read it on Stiles’ notebook”  
As her eyes landed on him, the kid stared admiringly at Catori.  
“How did I not think about that before?” Lydia sighed as her gaze fell to the floor.  
“We also know about the triquetra still” The oldest boy broke the silence that had settled in the room. “But I’ve done research and can’t find anything logical about it”  
“Okay, Derek?” Stiles interrupted the discussion. “That done, I think we need to focus on the other freaking problem here”  
“Which is?” The aforesaid said, frowning as he stared at him expectantly.  
“Catori” The boy simply replied, motioning over to her with a head nod.  
“I thought we were over this” The girl rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation.  
“No” Stiles walked over to her. “I meant what happened before”  
“Yeah, it was weird” Scott agreed, throwing a quick glance at her. “She blacked out and said something about ‘Chandrika’ in a… kind of scary voice…”  
“About what? Chandrika?” Derek furrowed his brow, confused at the mention of the unknown name.  
“Yeah, exactly!” Stiles threw his arms up in the air in desperation. “What the hell is a Chandrika?”  
“We don’t have time to worry about that!” The werewolf was bothered by the interruption, so he clicked his tongue. “As I was about to say before I was interrupted…”  
Stiles held his glance down as Derek scolded him with his intense green eyes. Then he tiredly dragged it away and let them land on Scott instead.  
“I managed to follow one of them without being discovered, and they’re meeting tonight”  
“What?” Stiles mumbled, imagining where he was going with that.  
“It’s our chance to learn more about them…” Liam nodded, chewing on his bottom lip.  
“You want us to literally venture into the wolf’s den” Stiles nodded as well. “Just one question, though… Are you out of your freaking mind?!”  
“It might be our only chance to know what we’re up against” Scott said in spite of himself. “To find out what their deal is”  
“Or to die a horrible death!”   
“We need to do this, Stiles” Malia was obviously not excited about that plan either, but knew it was a necessary evil.   
“That or we let them terrorize us forever” Catori piped up.  
“Oh, you’re not coming” The restless kid simply told her.  
“What?!” Catori was outraged by that statement. “Who do you think you are to say what I can and can’t do?”  
“Look, you’ve almost died a couple of times”  
“And whose fault is that?”  
“So I’m not going to let you come” Like he hadn’t heard her, Stiles briefly turned to Lydia and stared at her. “It’s enough that she’s coming, okay?”  
“I’m not going either” Derek stated simply. “I’m well known, so I prefer to keep my existence hidden and use it as a weapon when we need to”  
“See? He’s smart, you should learn from him”   
“I’ll show up if you need me, though”  
“Don’t ruin it…”  
Catori rolled her eyes and distanced herself, with it gathering everyone as they proceeded to leave. Catori tried to go with them, but Stiles held her by the arm, making her sigh in exasperation.  
“I don’t want you getting hurt” He tried again, this time more sternly. “So you’re staying with Derek"  
She grinned innocently and looked at him, piercing him with her green eyes.  
“I can take care of myself, Stiles” Challenging him with her piercing glance, she positioned right in front of him. “Despite it all, I’m still alive, right?”  
“But what if…?”  
“Attack me”  
“What?”  
“Don’t believe me? I’ll prove it to you” She casually told him, shrugging. “Attack me”  
“Yeah, I know you do kung fu or whatever, but-“  
“Jujitsu, but if you’re scared to be beat up by a girl-”  
“Fine…” Stiles rolled his eyes but reached out with his arm, his hand closed into a tight fist. She smirked.  
Before his fist could even get close to her face, she had gripped him and twisted him around so his back was facing her. Then, she pushed him down to the floor with incredible strength and sat over his back, straddling him so she would lean all her weight over Stiles.  
“Alright, I believe you!” Stiles nervously told her, his cheek resting against the ground as he squirmed under her. “Now let me go, will you?”  
“I can take care of myself” She let out a self-satisfied smirk and stood up from on top of him. “And I’m going”  
Scott, that had been observing the whole time, grinned in amusement. Derek was smiling a little too. Everyone was actually pretty amused by the scene they had witnessed.  
Catori started walking, smugly, and left the place.   
Scott patted his friend Stiles in the back, his grin still present.  
“You can’t tell her what to do, Stiles” The alpha observed her as she headed for the Jeep, where she waited for them, and chuckled. “She’s a free spirit”  
Still, the boy pouted and stared at the spot she had disappeared from.  
“No” Was all he said before he ran to catch up with her. He jogged up to her to grab her by the upper arm, stopping her before she could take another step.  
“Cat” He panted as he recovered from the brief run. “Wait”  
“What?”   
“You have to stay with Derek, please” Stiles frowned, and the puppy look his eyes had then somewhat reminded her of Scott. Even if Scott was a cheerful puppy and Stiles resembled a sad one at that very moment. “Just…. Please”  
His friend scowled at him, annoyed.  
“You don’t think I can take care of myself. You just… don’t trust me, do you?” With an exasperated eye roll, she harshly stared at him. “After all we’ve been through, Stiles-“  
“Listen to me!” Stiles gravely interrupted her before she began angrily rambling. “I know you can defend yourself, not only because of what you just did. You faced a freaking werewolf and survived”  
Catori couldn’t help but smile, watching Stiles’ frantic gestures and the obvious admiration in his caramel eyes.  
“But…” She guessed, making him nod.  
“But this might be much worse, and I have this really bad feeling, it won’t go away” Stiles was obviously distressed, clearly worried. “And I can’t just let you come”  
“If you have such a bad feeling, why are you going?”  
“Because I have to” The boy stated gravely. “For Scott, I need to be there for him”  
Catori wanted to ‘aw’ because it was so sweet of him, but instead she just chuckled.  
“But I want to-“  
“No, I have to do it. You don’t” To soften his words, the boy squeezed her arm fondly. “You need to understand, Cat”  
For some reason, Catori thought about the totem he gave to her. Before, she would have believed he just didn’t want her to be around them and to find out about their business. But after all that time and the totem that she still treasured fondly, the girl knew he was just worried and wouldn’t forgive himself if something happened to her. He didn’t want to put her in danger again.  
“Fine” Catori resigned herself with a scowl. “But don’t be stupid as usual and get yourself and the others killed”  
Stiles pursed his lips tightly and smiled sarcastically.  
“Thanks for the words of encouragement”  
“You’re welcome"  
While she crossed her arms over her chest and resigned herself to stay there with Derek, the two boys went through the threshold of the door. Both Stiles and Scott looked over their shoulders to her one last time. Scott with a friendly and empathic grin and Stiles with a silent apology.  
Catori just resolved to accept the arduous time ahead and plopped down on the couch under the attentive gaze of a silent Derek Hale.  
*  
How could he spend thirty whole minutes being completely silent like that? Wasn’t it driving him insane? It definitely was driving Catori crazy.  
She wondered what she could talk about to break the silence. At first she didn’t want to interrupt his reading since he seemed to be so into that book, but later on she didn’t really care. So in the end the girl opened her mouth to get the conversation going.  
“Look” Derek interrupted her, immediately catching the movement. “I don’t like you and you don’t like me, so let’s be quiet”  
For a moment, Catori was left speechless. Derek hadn’t even looked up from his book, which gave her some time to recover.  
“I never said I disliked you…” She calmly said, shrugging one shoulder. That caught his attention, so he looked up at her.  
“Is that so?”  
“You’re just a little big and intimidating, that’s all…” Feeling indeed intimidated by his piercing eyes and his hard and stoic expression, she averted her glance. “But you’re okay”  
“You’re not so bad yourself” Catori had to glance at him when she heard him chuckle, because she couldn’t believe her ears. She didn’t know he smiled! Well, the girl soon realized of how people can surprise you. And how one shouldn’t just judge people so easily.  
Derek seemed like such a sweetheart underneath all that deadpanning and seriousness. And all of that was reflected in that beautiful smile.  
“Sorry that you’re stuck babysitting me” Awkwardly, she rested her arms over her stomach as she sunk lower into the couch. “Not that I need babysitting, but still”  
“Could have been worse” He sent her a friendly expression that didn’t even need of a smile. Feeling like they had bonded a little and she already got a liking to him, she felt guilty of the plan she was coming up with in her mind.   
“So you’re a werewolf too?” Catori asked before she could think too much about it.  
“I was the alpha” He mumbled like it was no big deal. “Before Scott”  
“Must be cool, huh?” The girl stirred around and crossed her legs, and he couldn’t help but to think about Stiles since they were both so restless. “Being a werewolf, being powerful and badass”  
“It has its up and downs” Derek replied, getting back to his book. Taking the hint, she decided to stop talking and let him be.  
“Are you something too?” Derek made an effort to keep the conversation going since talking to her wasn’t as dreadful as he thought.  
“A boring human” Not that Catori was looking forward to be a werewolf or a banshee or anything to get even more involved in all of that, and having to put up with the consequences of her supernatural nature.  
“Being human is nice”  
“And so is quick healing, and super hearing and strength. And all that shit”  
“Don’t swear…”  
Catori laughed a little and held back the urge to reply something like ‘sorry, Captain America’ and instead formulated another question.  
“How long have you been a werewolf?”  
Derek froze for a moment, because it reminded him of everything. Of his whole past, and it was visible in his expression that the question had upset him. Catori realized that too.  
“Sorry if I-” She immediately apologized, but Derek cut her off.  
“All my life” After that response, the silence fell over them.  
Catori thought it was a good time for her plan. It was the perfect moment to get it started since she had already fucked up by being curious and saying stuff she shouldn’t have said. Big mouth… She slightly shook her head, telling herself off, and stood up.  
“Can I use your bathroom?”   
The ex-alpha lifted his eyes from the pages again and let them lazily fall over her. For a moment he hesitated, but then nodded.  
“Don’t take too long” He pointed the direction she should take to get there.  
Catori just nodded and walked over to the bathroom with her head low. Almost in guilt and shame.   
*  
Well, that was the lamest escape in history. Literally tricking a werewolf by jumping out of the bathroom window and running like a bat out of hell.   
Whatever, simple was good, it worked. But Derek definitely heard her or at least noticed her absence, or just straight up figured. So she had to be fast in order to catch up with the rest. Maybe they would let her come if she talked them into it.  
Smirking because she was free and was getting her way, Catori looked around. In that moment she wished she were a werewolf so she could catch their scent and follow them. But she would just have to get by on her own. Determined to do so, she took the first step.  
A sudden chill went over her, a very nasty feeling of danger and insecurity made her breath hitch in her throat. Catori gasped and slowly turned around when she felt a presence behind her.  
Her first instinct was to close her hands into fists just in case. And she grew very alert, trying to catch any sounds or movements.  
“Derek?” She called out, still terrified. “Oh, please… Tell me it’s you…”  
An intense pain then arrived to her neck when something violently teared through the skin on her nape. Her hands were shaking and her legs suddenly crumbled under her own weight.  
“What the-?” As she fell to the floor, unable to move, she wondered what was wrong with her. It had to be the crippling fear. That time it got to a point where it had completely paralyzed her, she was frozen and couldn’t move a muscle.  
Catori closed her eyes and tried to breathe in and out to calm herself. But when she opened her eyes, her heart skipped a beat.  
A shadow crept on to her. And its eyes were yellow and horrible.  
She screamt.


	14. Missing

Stiles could hear his friends’ voices but wasn’t really listening to the conversation. He just resolved to keep on biting on his nails, his eyes fixed on a random spot he wasn’t even looking at.   
It had happened again. A member of the pack was in great danger, mortal danger even. He had gone through that situation many times. Someone of the pack was in trouble and needed saving. The bad guys often targeted them, so it wasn’t new for him. Then why was his heart racing? Why was it so hard to breathe? Why did Stiles feel at the verge of a panic attack? It was even worse than the previous times something like that happened… Why?  
“It was a trap” Derek sighed sadly. “They must have realized I followed them and elaborated the plan”  
“What do you mean?” Kira asked worriedly, frowning as her eyes darted from him to Scott.  
“They knew I was listening, so maybe they set everything up so this would happen” The tall man replied gravely, crossing his arms over his chest.  
“Were they planning on kidnapping Catori?”   
“They went after her before…”  
“Are we sure they actually took her?”  
“It looks like it”  
“But what if-?”  
“There wasn’t any blood” Scott intervened, not really wanting to hear the theories of what terrible things might have happened to her. “I checked, not even the scent of it”  
“Nor any signs of struggle either” Liam had been there with him when he examined the scene. “That’s a little strange”  
“They probably just knocked her out” Malia suggested, thinking it was plausible.   
“Why would they take her, though?” Scott couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of the bad guys needing Catori. She wasn’t even a werewolf or anything!  
“Maybe it has something to do with that investigation” Kira gasped when the thought hit her. “Of the girls disappearing? What if it’s actually related somehow, like we thought?”  
“Can we stop talking about it and try to actually find her?” Stiles tried not to sound too rude or anguished as he stood up from the couch and joined his friends.  
He was used by then to that horrible feeling. That stirring queasy feeling on his stomach, that void in his chest, that overwhelming fear that made his mind fuzzy. But with Catori it was different. He couldn’t really explain how, but it was.  
“But we have no clues, nothing at all” Scott frowned in spite of himself, hating to feel so pessimistic and defeated. “We don’t know where to start”  
“We can start by looking for her” Stilinski was almost angry, even though it was just anxiety disguised as such.  
“He’s right” Derek accepted reluctantly. “We need to start looking”  
“Let’s go then” As Liam walked, he took his phone out and texted Mason asking for help as well.  
“I’ll ask Lydia if she knows something” Kira grabbed her cell as well. “Since she’s already been looking and asking everywhere”  
Everyone left seeking for Catori, but Scott kept staring at Stiles. So when his friend sternly walked over to the door, he held his arm to stop him. He knew him too well and understood there was more to it than just concern.  
“What’s the matter with you?” Scott was genuinely surprised to see how affected his best friend was by this. “I thought you didn’t like her that much”  
“Yeah, so did I” Stiles gulped, hating to feel like that. And especially not realizing his true emotions before. “But I can’t stand not knowing where she is”  
“Stiles… This isn’t just about her, it’s about you and Catori, do you-?”   
“I don’t know” A heavy silence fell over them as Stiles looked back and forth, uncomfortable. He honestly had no idea what his feelings towards Catori were, but it was obvious that there were some.  
“One thing’s for sure, Scotty” He restlessly nibbled on his bottom lip. “I need to know she’s okay”  
“I know” He placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, letting him know that the pack cared about Catori too and they would not sit around and let that happen. “We’ll find her”  
“I really hope so” Stiles sighed, his caramel eyes becoming watery. “I need to find her”  
*  
Catori had to blink a few times before her sight cleared enough for her to see something. Not only because of the tears in her eyes, but also due to her blurry vision.  
She felt dumb because of it, but she didn’t understand. Her first thought after she regained consciousness was… Why was she still alive? Even if being alive wasn’t the best at that moment.   
Her head hurt so much that it was hard to create a coherent thought. Her eyelids felt heavy and her eyeballs burned with exhaustion. Her mouth was dry and sore. Her muscles ached, it felt like life was being drained out of her and every fiber of Catori just wanted to pass out and get some rest to also shelter herself from that crippling fear. It was easier than facing the situation she was stuck in. Not knowing where she was, why she was there or who took her there.  
All she was aware of was what she could feel at that moment. How her body screamed at her to give it a rest and refused to go through the same thing all over again. How her mind begged not to overcome such tiring task even if Catori had no idea what it was. All she knew was that she had been put through a lot. She felt sensitive, vulnerable, weak and lost. Terrified. And alone.  
Steps suddenly were audible from where Catori lied motionless. And she could do nothing to run away from them. Not even scream, because the sound got stuck in her throat. All the girl did was close her eyes tight and evoke her friend’s faces. Lydia, Scott, Kira, Derek, Malia, Liam. Stiles.  
And repeat the same refrain all over again even if it wouldn’t come true just because she wanted it to. ‘Please, come find me. Save me’.   
*  
“Even if I’m a banshee and not a werewolf, I can sense your anxiety”   
Stiles pretended like he hadn’t been seething in silence, eating his head about Catori’s fate again. And dreading over it.  
It was absurd! He told himself he needed to stop that immediately and face it instead.  
“You’re the one that was so worried that immediately left and went to look for Catori on her own” He replied sassily, glancing at her.  
Lydia rolled her eyes and pursed her lips.  
“What I meant to say is you need to relax, because it’s gonna be okay”   
The boy glanced at his female friend with a questioning look.  
“Have you somehow seen it or something?”  
“No” The redhead sent an encouraging and warm grin his way. “I just know”  
He acknowledged her attempt to cheer him up with a small smile.  
“Thanks” Stiles nodded, giving her an eloquent look. “I know you’re really close to her too”  
“We all love Catori” Lydia shrugged one shoulder, nonchalant. “And we’re gonna find her”  
“What else can we do, though?” He sighed tiredly, emotionally and physically. “She won’t answer her phone, we can’t find her anywhere and we have no clues!”  
“We’ll come up with something”   
The two of them then remained silent until Stiles’ phone beeped, which made them jump up in surprise and excitement. Urgently, he pulled it out in the hopes that anyone had news about Catori. Even if it was the tiniest clue it would ease his nerves a little bit.  
“It’s from Scott…” Stiles opened the text and read it. “They found something but don’t know if…”  
When Lydia noticed his expression changed drastically, she observed the screen in apprehension.  
“What?” All she could see was a photo of a wooden totem that didn’t really mean anything to her.  
“I gave that to Catori…” Stiles glanced at her and gulped. He knew she wouldn’t just casually drop it because that totem was the symbol of their friendship, of how they set aside their differences and past arguments to get along and how he had apologized for distrusting her in the beginning.  
“Could she have dropped it on purpose?” Lydia thought as she stared at the picture they sent Stiles. “It’s hard to believe that it just fell off…”  
It definitely wasn’t the smallest object and the possibility brought a spark of hope to the whole situation.  
“Maybe she meant it as a clue…” He smiled, hopeful and restless. “So we would find it”  
For a moment, they fixed their eyes on the other and spoke without words, just with that simple glance. Then they just went back to the Jeep to reunite with Derek and Scott and talk about their new finding.  
The redhead glanced at him curiously as they fastened their seat belts.   
“How come you gave Catori that totem?”   
“Not now, Lydia…” Something told him that, like in the shopping mall, she had something in her mind that involved the two of them. And he wasn’t ready to face that subject, not to mention in that stressful situation.  
*  
Instead of Derek’s, the two of them went over to Scott’s house since he told them to do so. Derek would meet with them after that.   
“So you gave her that totem” The boy summarized once Stiles told him everything.  
“Yeah, and we think she might have dropped it as a clue”  
“Can you track her scent with that?” Lydia asked him, hopeful.  
“I’m not sure I can” He made a face, annoyed. “Catori can be anywhere in Beacon Hills. They might even have taken her away from here!”  
“Look, Catori is missing” Stiles frowned restlessly. “They tried to get her before, but it’s now that they managed to. Who knows what they’re planning to do with her”  
“I know, I know!”  
“No, Scott” He sighed. “It’s like all those girls who disappeared too, do I have to remind you that they’re dead now?”  
“That’s not gonna happen to Catori” Lydia piped up urgently, shaking her head with determination.  
“Lydia’s right” Scott intervened, locking eyes with his best friend. “We won’t let that happen”  
Stiles restlessly stirred on the spot and groaned in exasperation.  
“Ugh, where the hell is Derek?!”  
“I don’t know, he just said he needed to do some inquiries”  
“What if he takes too long?!”  
“Should we still wait for him?” Lydia asked Stiles, wondering if it was a good idea. “If he said he’ll be here…”  
“I think we should” Scott answered instead, feeling the need to have Derek by his side in such a perilous situation.  
“Scott, we need help” Stiles urged him, sending him a begging look. “And we need it now”  
Knowing his friend was right, since it was a matter of life or death, he nodded.  
“Deaton” Scott suggested, thinking he might help. “Deaton can do it”  
Nodding, Stiles snapped his fingers and began rushing to the Jeep to get to the clinic as soon as possible.  
“What if he doesn’t know anything?” Lydia worried as she climbed on the back seat. “He’s useful when it comes to werewolves, but-“  
“Not helping, Lydia” The driver complained as he started the engine and drove off.  
“You’re right” She obliged, biting her bottom lip. “He should be able to help us a little”  
“We can also investigate the totem, or see if we find another lead” Scott added from the co-pilot seat, trying to be positive. “And Derek is going to say something eventually”  
Stiles didn’t take his eyes off the road as he listened to his friends, but he sighed in dread. He really hoped they were right and they found her. Soon.  
His eyes darted to the rear view mirror when he felt Lydia stirring in the back. Engulfed by a strong feeling she couldn’t really explain nor understand, she slapped her hands on the boys’ shoulders. She knew that feeling, though, since she was familiar with it by that point.  
“Stop the car!”   
“Why? What’s happening?!”  
“What?!”  
“Do it, Stiles!”   
He obeyed and suddenly brought the vehicle to a halt, throwing the three of them forward as they embraced for it. The two males immediately turned their heads to the banshee, knowing it had something to do with her skills.   
“What is it?”  
“I… I can sense Catori is in danger” She frowned and made a pause, not really wanting to say it out loud because it would make it real. “If we don’t find her soon, she’s going to die”


	15. Nemeton

“Boys, wake up!” The Sheriff exclaimed, getting a lazy response from Scott and Stiles. “Lydia’s here”  
The girl nodded and waved at him as he left, then walking into the room with his friends.  
Stiles was sprawled out in the floor, limbs everywhere as a bunch of papers rested over his stomach, going up and down with his breathing pattern. His mouth was wide open and he softly snored.  
Scott rested on the arm chair, his head hanging from one of the sides as he slept peacefully. He was cuddled over himself and looked young and innocent like a baby.  
“Good morning!” Lydia greeted them very loudly, getting them to finally open their eyes.  
Scott was so startled that he fell off the arm chair, just to climb up onto it clumsily. Stiles was wide eyed as he tried to gather all the papers spread across him and the floor and wiped his mouth from any residue of drools.  
“I’m guessing you still have nothing” The redhead picked up a few papers from the printer and sat down in Stiles’ bed.  
“Nothing…” Scott looked sad and defeated, even if he was still sleepy and he rubbed his eyes.  
“My dad might, though” Stiles jumped up from the floor and followed the Sheriff. “Dad, wait!”  
They heard them mumbling things, probably about Catori and any possible leads on her.  
“We’ve been awake almost all night” Scott yawned big like a lion and got comfortable on the arm chair. “Haven’t found anything, not any leads”  
“What did you look for?” The redhead took her eyes off the paper she was curiously looking to fix her eyes on her friend.  
“A little bit of everything, anything we thought could give us a clue” He tiredly rubbed his eyes to shake off the drowsiness. “Locations in Beacon Hills, supernatural creatures in lore unknown to us, any new information on the other cases of missing girls…”  
Lydia directed her eyes back to the papers on her hands and quickly read them. A Japanese creature known as Kappa, the Beacon Hills Railroad Depot, the case of a girl called Vikki Sanders, the Warehouse District, a beast called Selkie and a similar one called Kelpie, the Eichen House, a being called Knocker…  
Just then, Stiles walked back into the room, plopping down next to Lydia with a resigned expression.  
“As you can see, this was a huge success” He told her bitterly, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  
Lydia suddenly felt something. Her fingers were twitching nervously, almost craving for… what? She had enough experience as a banshee to know that strange feeling had something to do with her supernatural nature.  
While the boys were trying to sober up from their interrupted and restless sleep, Lydia searched the room for more papers that contained information and gathered them. That was probably what she was looking for. Most of them were carelessly squashed between Stiles’ hands, so she quickly snatched them away from him.  
“Hey!” He complained, startled by the sudden outburst. “What the hell…?”  
Lydia sushed him and frantically read through them, her green eyes darting from one page to the other, trying to find it.  
“What’s wrong?” Scott somehow knew what was happening. “Got anything?”  
“I think so” She absently replied as she still went over the papers, as fast and effectively as she could.  
“What are you looking for?”  
“I don’t know”  
But then she stopped at a certain page. When she saw that word and that photo, her heart skipped a beat and somehow she knew. That was it.  
“The Nemeton” The redhead stared at the picture of the cut-out tree.  
“Is Catori there?!” Stiles jumped up from the bed again, both excited and frightened.  
Flashes of the Darach and their parents being kidnapped and held there, waiting to become human sacrifices, rushed to his mind. His hands shook a little and his throat suddenly turned very dry with the memories.  
He glanced over to Scott, who was staring back at him with a recognition that told him he knew what he was thinking and felt the exact same apprehension. So his friend nodded slightly, telling him it would be okay without any need for words.  
“Yes?” Lydia doubted in response, still not being too sure about it since she didn’t have full control of her banshee premonitions.  
“Is she still there?!” Scott urged their friend as well, hopeful and begging for it to be it for real.  
“I-I don’t know!” Lydia exclaimed in frustration, crumpling the sheets in her hands.  
“We’re still going, right?” Stiles asked them, his restless eyes darting from one to the other. “I mean, it’s the only lead we have at all. If there’s even a slight possibility that Catori’s actually there…”  
“We’re going” Scott assured with confidence and determination.   
“I’ll start the Jeep” Stilinski hurriedly picked up his keys and ran off the room, his friends following.  
However, he came back at super speed to give Lydia a quick hug since she had been the one to finally give them a clue after all that time in uncertainty.   
But he fidgeted around and gawked at her when she went after him.  
“Lydia…” He frowned, half questioning. “What are you doing?”  
“I’m going with you!” The three of them tussled a little on the way down until they got to the Jeep.  
“You should stay here…” Scott softly told her, seeing as she was ready to get into the vehicle.  
“I’m not staying here” None of the boys had seen her so determined before. “I’m coming with you to save Catori”  
“It can be dangerous”  
“I don’t care!”  
The redhead jumped into the backseat of the Jeep to reinforce her statement and to show she had made her decision. She wasn’t changing her mind.  
“But…” Stiles insisted once more, concerned.  
“No buts” She shook her head. “Get on the car, Stiles”  
The boy glanced at his friend in awe, but Scott was just as surprised.  
“Okay…” The alpha boy sat on the seat as Stiles started the engine. “Let’s go then”  
*  
Stiles told himself that dividing the group was never a good idea. Both in movies and in real life. So he hated that he was walking through the forest around the Nemeton on his own. In fact, through a secret tunnel that led to a secret hideout area underneath it, which was even scarier.  
However, he felt even more frightened with what he found next. A figure laying on the floor, feeble and motionless, caught his eye.  
“Oh my God…” Stiles uttered, his heart skipping a beat. “Lydia, Scott!!!!”  
The boy ran to Catori and kneeled next to her, observing her carefully. He noticed how her chest slowly and weakly raised and fell. At least she was breathing.  
“Cat” Stiles placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently, but she didn’t react. “Cat, wake up!!”  
She felt cold and looked very pale. Deadly pale. A distorted expression of unease took hold of her face even if her eyes were shut tight. She was unconscious.  
“SCOTT!” Stiles called again, at the top of his lungs.  
He was terrified, felt helpless and tiny. But he still tried to convince himself that there was hope. They had found her, and he was going to fight to get her to open her eyes. To save her.


	16. Safe

Exhaustion was the only thing she could feel. Everything else was overshadowed by how every inch and fiber of her body felt numb and tired to the point that she didn’t have the strength to even move yet hardly breathe.   
However, something made her move her head. Even if all she wanted to do was give up and go to sleep for a very long time, something kept tapping her and it was annoying. Bothered by the constant tapping on her cheeks, Catori groaned in disgust. She moved her head around, trying to get it to stop or at least get away from whatever was trying to disturb her rest. But it didn’t stop, in fact it became more urgent and continuous. Suddenly a voice arrived to her ears, even though it felt distant as though it was miles away.  
Very slowly managing to open her eyes, Catori woke up. All she could see was a confusing blur before her eyes. Something warm and of a caramel brown color caught her attention, it felt alive but it looked sad.  
The voice slowly sounded closer and her eyesight cleared.  
Someone wouldn’t stop patting her cheeks as they called for her and begged her to wake up. She finally realized those warm caramel colored orbs were eyes, which she recognized immediately: Stiles’.  
Catori inhaled a sharp breath when she felt like she was suffocating. Like she had woken up from the most realistic and profound nightmare that threatened to hold her prisoner forever.  
“Hey, hey” Stiles’ soft but worried voice was reassuring to her, just because he was actually there with her. “Cat, it’s okay! It’s me, Stiles!”  
The girl frowned as she tried to hold back the tears that had already formed in her eyes. Even if a sob broke out, coming from the depths of her throat.  
“Stiles” Catori sobbed again, now somewhat happily and relieved. “Are you real? Are you actually here?”  
“I’m here” He nodded, his shaky hands still in her face because of the urgent need to feel her physical touch. “I’m real, we came for you”  
“You came to s-save me” She closed her eyes and sighed shakily. “I knew you’d come”  
“Oh, Cat…” Stiles sighed too, feeling like everything was finally okay. Because she was right there, and she was alive. And she would be okay.  
An immense relief like he had never felt before flooded through him as he saw her opening her eyes again. So much so that he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her. Not even thinking what he was doing, Stiles sat her up and hugged her so tight that she gasped for air.  
He broke away, staring into her beautiful green eyes and being overcome by a diverse mixture of emotions. Shock, delight, relief, nervousness, fondness and awkwardness.  
Catori just stared back, blankly, not reacting in any other way.  
“Why aren’t you slapping me right now?” The boy was genuine when he asked that question, because he was positive that it would be a reflex for Catori. Even in that situation, even if he had arrived to save her, even if she wouldn’t do it on purpose. From what he knew of her, which was quite a lot, he presumed that would be her first instinct as a reaction to his genuine and impulsive hug. Or maybe for taking so long in finding her.  
“I can’t move” Catori had distress written all over her face, since she just realized of her state, but at least she seemed to be unharmed.  
“Why can’t you move?” The girl noticed the absolute panicked expression on his face as well and felt like hers had to be very similar looking.  
“I don’t know, they’ve been doing something to me… I-I have barely been able to move ever since they got me” Catori was confused, feeling her mind fuzzy and her body numb even if it was beginning to twitch at last. “They… they were… I… I don’t know…”  
Stiles felt frustrated at her helplessness, not knowing what to do to comfort her. Even if it was a rare and strange sight.  
“Scott!!!” He just called his friend again, figuring a true alpha werewolf would know more about it. Where was he, anyway? He had called him a while ago! He needed him there!  
In a second, the boy had arrived there running fast as lightning. At last.  
“Is she okay?” Scott’s eyes darted from one to the other in concern.  
“I guess… but she can’t move” Stiles grunted as he tried to pick her up but wasn’t really strong enough.  
“Why?” Scott made sure no one was around.  
“I don’t-“ Stiles interrupted himself when it hit him. “They probably used Kanima venom!”  
“That would make sense”  
“A little help here?”  
Scott got the hint and went to carry her himself, easily sweeping her up in his arms. As he did, all Stiles could do was look at her and think how glad he was she was alive and well. Nothing else was on his mind. And he knew Scott felt the same comfort after finding her.  
Scott carried her away from there, closely followed by the other boy. Suddenly, the first one stopped dead in his tracks and whipped his head to look at Stiles.  
“Stiles, take her” Scott urgently commanded.  
“What? Why? I don’t know if I can…” Stiles clumsily fidgeted around as he tried to pick her up from Scott’s arms. “Scott, I’m not strong like you!”  
“Just do it!” His friend rushed him, staring with eyes flashing red. “They’re coming!”  
“Who?!” Stiles exclaimed nervously, feeling too tensed up. “Who are these people?!”  
“They’re coming?” Catori grizzled in pure terror. “Oh, God, no! Not again!”  
The two boys observed her in concern, later sharing a glance that obviously cursed at them for doing that to their friend.  
“It’s gonna be okay, Cat” Stiles tried to comfort her. “They won’t touch you again, alright? We’ll protect you”  
“Take her out of here!  
“What about you?”  
“I’ll be fine, just leave!”  
“No! I’m not leaving you behind!”  
“Scott!! P-Please… Don’t, they’ll hurt you! Stiles, don’t let him!They-“  
“Just. Go!!” Scott insisted, using his wolf howl to reinforce his fierce statement.  
The boy sighed and scooped Catori up in his arms, grunting because of the effort as she limply leaned over his torso.  
“Stiles, we can’t leave-“ She started to say as she resigned herself to let him carry her.  
“I know” He nodded gravely, still taking her away from there.  
He hated to leave his best friend alone in the face of danger. That was why he wasn’t. But he needed to take Catori to the safety of the Jeep first.  
Even if she was shaking in fear and softly sobbing, the girl kept lowly calling for Scott. Even when they had reached the Jeep, she still insisted.  
“Stiles, leave me and get Scott, please” Her eyes locked with him. “If something happens to him because of me…”   
“Cat, shut up for once” Stiles carefully sat her up in the seat and soon noticed a red head pop out from the back.  
“Catori!” Lydia let out a huge sigh of relief. “Are you okay?”  
“Lydia” The girl smiled and hugged her friend, happy to see her again.  
Luckily, she was slowly recovering her arm movement. Even if it was slow and sloppy.  
Stiles sat in the driver’s seat again and anxiously drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. His eyes were fixed on the place where Scott had to appear from any second now.  
“Where’s Scott?” Lydia worried when she realized he wasn’t with them.  
“Still in there” The boy didn’t take his eyes away from that spot, ready to dart in that direction if his best friend didn’t appear in less than ten seconds.  
“I’m going to help him” Lydia jumped out of the Jeep and ran to where she had seen Stiles come with Catori from.  
“No, Lydia” Stiles opened the door and went after her, terrified out of his mind. “Lydia!”  
When he was about to exit the vehicle, however, something clutched at his arm. He looked over his shoulder and saw Catori hugging him from the side.  
“Stiles, don’t leave” She begged him, looking up to him with pleading eyes that were so out of place in her usual expression. “P-P-Please, not you too”  
She hated that Scott was in there. And that Lydia went after him. If she felt just a hint of bravery she would have let Stiles go. Catori would have even accompanied him to help their friends. But at that moment a crippling feeling of anxiety engulfed her and the thought of being alone caused an irrational fear in her, one that made her queasy and shaky.  
Stiles noticed all of that, because he knew Catori. And he knew it was very rare to see her so vulnerable, so scared out of her mind. He didn’t want to think about what she went through in there, how long each second must have felt and how torturous until they finally arrived.  
“I’ll stay” The boy agreed in spite of himself, trying not to think about their friends. “It’s okay, Cat, I’m here. I’ll stay”  
The girl sighed, feeling safer already, and still held on to him for comfort. Stiles resolved to just allow her and even pass an arm around her, desperate to try to reassure her. To make her feel better.  
Catori was shaking like a leaf, and she lingered on the touch. Her head was buried in his chest as she did her best to breathe and calm down.  
Stiles just prayed for Scott and Lydia. He needed to know they were okay, but what comforted him was the fact that his best friend was strong. A werewolf. A true alpha.  
*  
The Jeep was so silent, Stiles couldn’t remember the last time the situation was as tense.  
Scott was in the back with Catori, holding her hand and taking her pain away. He held her in his arms, and the embrace of her friend brought great comfort to the poor Catori.  
In fact, she was so quiet and still that they thought she may be sleeping. She had to be exhausted for sure, and when she finally knew she was safe she relaxed after so much time of being tense and scared.  
Lydia sat in the copilot seat as Stiles drove the car, and they exchanged glances every once in a while.  
After Lydia and Scott ran back to the Jeep, there barely spoke at all. There were just frenetic shouting that evolved into silence as Stiles started the engine and drove off at full speed.  
“I think she’s actually sleeping” Scott whispered, still holding on to her protectively. “It didn’t take long after her pain was gone and she felt safe enough”  
They were almost downtown already, which meant that they were far away from the Nemeton now. Both Stiles and Lydia watched the werewolf in the rear view mirror, and the two of them noticed him shaking his hands to get rid of Catori’s pain away from himself. But none of them said anything.  
“What the hell happened in there?” Stiles dared to ask, even though he kept his voice low not to wake Catori.  
“I don’t know” Scott admitted in defeat. “She’s probably the only one that knows”  
“I don’t think she’ll want to talk about it, though” Lydia frowned as she turned around slightly to glance at her friend’s face. Even though she was frowning a little, Catori was still resting.  
“And who was in there?” Stiles insisted, having the unstoppable urge to know more about the situation.  
“I didn’t get to see anything” The redhead told him, directing her green eyes to him. “When I came in, Scott was already running my direction”  
She remembered how heavily his cheek was bleeding, in the shape of a scratch that looked a lot like a werewolf’s. But that could have been from any similar creature. The wound in Scott’s face now looked almost completely healed. Barely even a scar left.  
“I fought something” He frowned and shook his head. “Some of them were werewolves, but I don’t even know what the other creature were”  
“It was more than one, then?”  
“That’s right”  
“Any idea what they did to her?” Stiles frowned as he briefly glanced through the rear view mirror. “And who took her?”  
“Not really…” He could see the anger and determination in Scott’s eyes, and he knew Catori’s captors had messed up with the wrong pack. “But this isn’t over yet”  
“We need to tell Derek everything” Lydia sighed and tightly pressed her lips together. “But he’s not gonna be happy about us going on our own”  
“Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him” Scott reassured her. “For now we have to take care of Catori”  
“Should I take her home?” Stiles changed the subject when his stomach rumbled in concern thinking about all that.  
“I don’t think she would want that” Lydia shook her head, biting her bottom lip.  
“She should stay with you, Stiles” Scott agreed, wrapping his arms around her to coat her even more than before.  
“What?!” Catori stirred, so his friends shushed him while they made sure Stiles hadn’t woken her. Luckily, he didn’t.  
“At my place?” He whispered now, still outraged, however.  
“Yes, but you have to drop us at Derek’s first”  
“I can’t have her in my place! Besides, my dad’s there and…”  
Truth was Stiles couldn’t bear the thought of seeing her so scared and vulnerable because it broke his heart. But they didn’t have to know that.  
“You have to”  
“Oh my God” He budged after all, rolling his eyes still. “Fine!”  
Scott grinned, amused and satisfied.  
“Don’t worry, I’ll come back when we’re done with Derek” He looked down to Catori. “I just want to make sure she’s safe”  
“Yeah, I’ll tell my dad to keep an eye around as well”  
“I’ll go visit her tomorrow”  
None of the members of the pack would allow any harm to come to Catori ever again.  
*  
Not sure whether the effect of the venom had completely passed or not, Stiles decided to pick Catori up again despite her being awake already. She woke up before he even pulled over.  
Once they were back in the safety of a home, of Stiles’ bedroom, he gently put her in the bed and unwrapped his arms from her. But Catori still held on to him tightly, her face buried in his shoulder. It felt as if she clutched to the boy and was determined to never let go. And he knew it was the fear which caused that behavior. He knew Catori. She wasn’t a coward, she was brave and independent. A free spirit. Badass even.  
But what she had gone through lately, especially being held captive by the bad guys like that… it would scar anyone. And she was too proud to show such vulnerability unless she absolutely couldn’t hide it anymore.  
“Catori…” Seeing as she still wouldn’t let go of him, Stiles sat next to her and allowed her to take refuge in his arms as he hugged her against his chest. “It’s okay”  
“I thought I would die…” She sobbed, and he noticed Catori was shaking like a leaf again. “That… they would come back for me any moment to kill me”  
The girl gulped down heavily, snuggling closer to him as she closed her eyes tight.  
“Hey…” Stiles softly told her, as sweetly as he could in order to comfort her. “You’re okay now, you’re safe in here”  
He felt a heavy void in his chest knowing she was having such a hard time, knowing that she felt frightened beyond repair, that she would never forget what she went through, and that she was so vulnerable and helpless unlike her usual self. And he definitely had to do everything in his power to change that. Stiles needed to make her see that she had nothing to be afraid of anymore. Because he was there with her and there was no way he would let anyone hurt her ever again. Not him, not Scott, not anyone of the pack. They would all protect her.  
Catori slightly turned her torso to be completely facing him instead of being cuddled with her side resting against him. Then she shoved her face on his chest and wrapped her arms around him.  
At that moment, she didn’t care that their relationship was complicated. She didn’t care that she would appear weak. And she definitely didn’t care about anything anymore. But the girl felt like Stiles was the only thing keeping her from going insane, from giving into her fears and torturous memories, and she needed someone. And he happened to be there. Yet Stiles had no problem with her embrace. In fact, it made him feel better because he knew it was the best way he could help her at the moment.  
“It’s alright, Catori” The boy gently put his arms around her and squeezed her fondly in an attempt to let her know he was there for her. “It’s alright”  
Restless, the girl lowered her arms again and held onto his shirt tightly, unable to fight a sob. He frowned worriedly and in disbelief when he heard the strangled sound that came from her.  
“Are you…?” But before he could finish his sentence, Catori started to cry, silently answering him. She needed to let it out, to release all that tension and terror she had been experiencing.  
“Calm down, Cat” Squeezing her extra tightly, he tenderly rubbed her back. “I told you, it’s gonna be fine”  
If she had refused to talk before, that was not the moment to start doing it either. She didn’t want to tell him she was afraid even if she was supposed to be safe. She didn’t want to tell him she felt like she would never feel safe again even if she did. So Catori resigned herself to cry on his shoulder, to finally be able to get rid of that tight cold claw that clutched her heart and made it impossible to breathe, to relax.  
Stiles, on his part, held her as close and tight as he could. He placed a hand on her head and allowed her to cry on his shoulder. All he wanted was to see her smile again, to make her happy. Make her laugh. But it was no time for jokes. He had to comfort her first.  
“Look, Scott’s keeping an eye on you, and so is my dad. They’re constantly making sure no one gets anywhere near you…” He began to say, wishing to comfort her completely. “But if you wanted me to, I’d pick up my bat and stay awake all freaking night, guarding every single entrance to this house if that would make you feel better”  
The boy kindly rubbed her arm, reassuringly, to reinforce his words. In spite of herself, Catori smiled a little, even if he didn’t get to see it.   
Feeling like she had shed all her tears and was now slightly more at ease, she heaved a big relaxed sigh. But it wasn’t that which helped her feel better. It was Stiles’ soothing touch. And not because of the actual physical contact, but thanks to what she felt. Usually, Stiles’ aura was filled with restlessness due to his hyperactive nature. But that time it sent her tranquil vibes, his concern for her reminded Catori of his actual kindness and managed to calm her. It was just cathartic and comforting as well as calming.  
“There you go” Kindly, he patted her back, still not letting go of her. “That’s better, Cat”  
“I’m sorry” Once recovered her dignity after her breakdown, she felt the need to apologize. Stiles couldn’t help but to chuckle, in disbelief that she was actually saying those words. But it was a glimpse at the true Catori. He thought of it as slight progress.  
“You’re unbelievable” The boy just uttered, shaking his head a little in amused exasperation.  
Not up to sass him back or roll her eyes, she accommodated against him, nuzzling her nose on his shirt. Despite it all, she was too comfortable to move away. And she felt safe and protected.  
Stiles smiled to himself when she did, surprised yet pleased that she sought comfort in him. Unable to hold his urge to squeeze her tight, he did, happy to know she also enjoyed it.  
“Stiles?”  
“Yeah”  
“I can’t breathe”  
“Oh, sorry!” He immediately let her go and placed his hands on her shoulders as he gave her an apologetic look. “You’re right, I just… sorry…”  
The girl stared at him in a funny way, wondering what was going through his mind.  
“If I didn’t know you, I’d say you care about me…. That hug…”  
“No…” He huffed, offended, not really wanting to admit he had been sick worried to know she was in such trouble and immensely relieved once she was okay and safe.  
Catori smirked to herself as she observed him. It was amazing how he made her feel better without even trying, and how much Stiles helped her without realizing.   
It made her feel more at ease to know Stiles made sure she was safe. That he didn’t see her differently after the incident. Despite how terrified she had been, he continued to be fond of her and he might even admire her for everything. Unlike she used to think, being vulnerable didn’t mean being weak.  
For some reason, it made her drop her guard. It helped her to give into her feelings and actually show them for a change. She would have never believed Stiles would be the one to achieve it, but he was. Not Scott, not even Lydia. It was Stiles.  
“If you were in the mood for some touchy emotional stuff, you could just have kissed me” It was amazing, even to herself, that she wanted to tease him at that moment. But she did. Or maybe she just wanted to kiss him and see what happened.  
But a moment ago she had been so terrified that she wouldn’t stop crying, yet Catori found herself comfortable despite her lingering restlessness. Maybe it was just a desperate attempt to keep her mind off it, but she gladly teased him.  
“I guess humor is a sign of improvement” Stiles chuckled and shook his head, with a grin plastered on his enticing lips.  
With a very eloquent glare, Catori just lifted her eyebrows and stared.  
“You’re actually serious!” His jaw dropped in shock as he gaped at the air, trying to find some words to say. “Wha-What?! Are you out of your mind, Catori?! I’m not going to… What? No!”  
The girl laughed a little at his response and suddenly what Lydia kept saying about them made a little more sense.  
“You’re scared of me, aren’t you?”  
“No I’m not scared of you” Stiles made a pause to lick his lips while he stared defiantly at her. “I’m intimidated by you, there’s a difference!”  
“Just do it…” Catori didn’t understand why she wanted him to do it so badly, but her excuse definitely was the amusement it brought her. Plus, she wanted to show him she wasn’t a ferocious cat but that she could be a calm cute kitten too.  
“You always need to have the last word, huh?”  
“Just do it, Stiles!”  
The boy took a deep breath and leaned closer in a rush, having the urge not only to taste her lips but to also show some courage and keep her from teasing him too. Their lips met and the warmth of their mouths relaxed the both of them. It almost rid them from the stress and apprehension from the past days, it was cathartic. It felt calming, sweet, passionate. Perfect.  
Catori held onto Stiles’ shirt, slightly pulling at it to bring him closer. He placed a hand on her nape in an urgent desire to have her impossibly close as well. Even if they were already resting over each other.  
They only opened their eyes when they realized they had closed them. As the pair broke apart they took a few seconds to look into each other’s eyes, bedazzled by their beauty.  
“See?” Catori piped up, slightly backing away when she felt herself blushing. “I didn’t kill you, did I?”  
“No…” Stiles breathed out and gulped. “You didn’t”  
Filled with warmth and a pleasant feeling she couldn’t really understand, Catori smiled.  
“You nerd…” It felt like a long time since she last smiled, so when she did it felt exhilarating for the both of them. That smile ended up in his lips as well. He just averted his eyes, feeling silly and great.  
“Thank you” Once again, she broke the silence.  
“For what?” Stiles glanced back at her with a mild frown.  
“For saving me? I don’t know…” She hesitated, fearing to actually put it into words or say it out loud. “Just… thank you”  
With a chuckle, he kept on talking.  
“You know, this may not be the best time to say it, but…” He mumbled, biting his lip in apprehension in case what he was about to say upset her. “I told you so”  
Chuckling, Catori pushed him, almost making him fall off the bed, and harshly stared at him. However, there was a tiny grin etched on her lips.  
“Shut up, Stilinski”  
Stiles was right, he had warned her and had wanted to protect her. He tried to keep her out of it to keep her safe. But she didn’t listen. Still, Catori was aware of the fact that he just said it to make her laugh. And it worked.  
He stared at her, warm inside at the sight of her beautiful smile. Her eyes were still watering, red and puffy from crying. And her hands were visibly shaking. But she was smiling.  
“Now, if you will listen to me this time and try to go to sleep, that’d be lovely” Stiles began to stand up, but she quickly held his hand to stop him.  
“Where are you going?” Catori urged him, not ready to let him go so easily.  
“Just going to get some blankets” He sniggered. “They’re in the closet”  
Embarrassed, she got off him and allowed him to get them.  
“Oh, okay”  
She thought she would never be able to sleep for more than one reason, but as soon as the warm blankets were on her and she felt the bed sinking when Stiles sat on it, Catori fell to slumber.  
Stiles watched her fondly, but his expression soon shifted.  
As she lied on her side and the curtain of dark hair revealed her nape, he saw it. He knew he had felt a wound on her neck when he kissed her, but wasn’t surprised taking in consideration how they had hurt her.  
However, that wound in her neck was nothing ordinary. It had a very particular shape that he knew very well.


	17. Puzzle

His eyes wouldn’t leave her even if they threatened to close themselves.  
Stiles had barely gotten any sleep at all. He only fell asleep without realizing, and not for long because as soon as he woke up he made an effort to stay awake after that.  
He kept his bat closely by him and continuously texted Scott, Derek and his dad. All to make sure the perimeter was safe.  
As he observed Catori sleeping restlessly, he couldn’t take something off his mind. That wound in her neck, he knew what it was. He had seen it before.   
Claws.  
And claws to the neck meant that they were trying to get inside her head for whatever reason. Something they needed to look into for sure.  
Suddenly Catori woke up startled, probably because of a nightmare.  
“Hey, it’s okay” He rushed to sit with her in the bed to comfort her.  
The girl was breathing heavily and her forehead was covered in sweat. She looked around, getting back to reality, and then glanced at Stiles. He placed an arm over her and she cuddled to his chest, heaving a deep sigh in relief that it was only a dream. She was safe.  
“Want to talk about it?” Seeing as she didn’t say anything, he piped up.  
“N-No” Catori broke away from the embrace and locked eyes with him.  
Stiles could feel how terrified she was of remembering it all.  
“Cat…”  
“No, I barely remember anything anyway” She rushed to say. “But I don’t want to talk about it”  
“That’s okay” He calmed her down, daring to hold her again. “You don’t have to unless you want to”  
Even though Stiles knew they would eventually have to talk to her, he knew it wasn’t the moment. They would need for her to remember everything she could and tell them so they would finally have a clue of the other pack, she was their best lead, but for the moment Stiles resolved to just make sure she felt safe and comfortable.  
Catori gently broke the hug and lied back on the bed, facing her back to him. It looked like she was trying to fall asleep again. The boy lied on his side as well and cautiously placed an arm over her, protectively, in a silent reminder that he was there and in the hopes that it would make her feel more secure. She didn’t complain, so he accommodated there gladly.  
When the silence settled in his room, his mind began working again.  
Being awake all night gave him lots of time to think. And one of the things that he realized was how he regretted the way he treated Catori. Sure, he had apologized before, but the guilt still ate over him. Stiles felt like he had never been so wrong in his life.  
He stared at her, ready to apologize again to lighten the weight on his chest. Catori had finally managed to calm herself down a little. She wasn’t one to get scared easily, but being kidnapped by a pack of werewolves who paralyzed her with Kanima venom and faced with a terrifying alpha would scare anyone.  
Knowing Scott, Stiles and the Sheriff all had her back made her feel safe and having Stiles’ arm over her did too. Not that she would admit this last thing, though.  
“Catori, are you awake?” Stiles whispered after a while, slightly sitting up to get a better look at her face.  
“Mhm” She sleepily answered, too tired to open her eyes again.  
“Listen, I’m sorry about the way I treated you” He said, genuine. “I know I was a jerk, but I just-“  
“You had already apologize”  
“I know… But I wanted to do it again”  
“It’s okay” She didn’t need an explanation to know his reasons. “I get it”   
Stiles just wanted to protect his friends, because he probably had seen so many things in that madness of a town called Beacon Hills and had probably seen his friend hurt so many times. He just didn’t want to see them in danger again.  
After living that terrible experience she could understand him better. Anyone out of their usual circle was suspicious of being a supernatural creature. And many of those were evil, like the ones that abducted her.  
“No, I mean… I’m still sure that you’re different. That you’re something even if we don’t know what” Slowly, he moved his hand so it rested over hers and caressed her skin with his thumb. “But you didn’t deserve that”  
Catori chuckled a little and turned around, groggily opening her eyes to look up at him.  
“It’s okay, really” She offered him a sweet smile that had a goofy look to it because of the drowsiness. “It’s not like I couldn’t handle it. You didn’t intimidate me”  
“Thanks” Stiles replied sarcastically, sighing in annoyance.  
Catori didn’t say anything else. She just grinned in amusement and cuddled into Stiles’ chest, embracing the feeling of safety that such closeness provided her with.  
Usually, and because of her pride, she wouldn’t have allowed herself to let him know she sought that intimacy, but she was still scared and jumpy. Not that he complained either. The both of them lingered on that position for hours.  
*  
The next day everyone went to school.   
Catori stayed at Stiles’ and he went to class despite his initial complaints. He didn’t want to leave her alone but his dad begged him to go to class. Fortunately, the Sheriff had the day off and assured he would keep a close eye on her. That was the only reason Stiles ended up leaving. Catori thanked the man because he also called Lucy Hudson to tell her that her daughter was safe. Even if he had to lie a little not to mention the supernatural. And even Melissa McCall –Scott’s mother –offered help if they needed anything.   
Scott hadn’t spoken with any of his friends in the entirety of the day. He had too many things on his mind and didn’t feel like talking anyhow. He just felt so angry, hate directed towards the pack that did that to Catori. Just imagining anyone else going through that as well made his blood boil and caused his animal instincts to kick in. But he knew he had to approach things carefully. Hence, he texted Derek and asked him to meet with him after class. Hale agreed.  
So when the school day was over and he was walking to the parking lot to get his motorbike, he actually felt relieved to spot Stiles and Lydia chatting.  
“Scott!” Kira called him before he could walk up to them. He turned around to her, placing an arm over her shoulders, and greeted her with a small smile.  
“Hi”  
“What happened? Where’s Catori?” He was about to reply when Malia appeared next to them, listening to the conversation without a word.  
“We’re meeting with Derek in a while” Scott briefly explained. “We’ll tell you everything there”  
“And Liam and Mason?”   
“Tell them to come too” Kira nodded and went back inside to look for them. Malia followed. Scott then approached the other two to join the conversation even if he could already hear what they were saying.  
“I can’t believe I was stupid enough to almost lose the chance to get to know Catori” Stiles was telling Lydia, who smirked in response. Scott smiled himself, glad that his friend finally changed his mind about Catori.   
He casually positioned himself next to Stiles and nonchalantly walked beside them. The other boy glanced at him, acknowledging his presence, and sighed in annoyance.  
“You heard that, didn’t you?”   
“Not if you don’t want me to” Scott allowed himself to smirk at him.  
Stiles rolled his eyes to hide his annoyance and embarrassment and stared at Lydia to pretend like Scott wasn’t even there. The boy noticed this and laughed.  
“Are we meeting Derek again?” The girl leaned over slightly to glance at Scott without Stiles getting in the way.  
“Yep”  
“Great surprise”   
*  
The three friends had resigned themselves to put up with Derek’s lecture as well with the repetition of the recent events. Having to tell everything and revive it to on top of all making him angry.  
But at least now Kira, Malia, Liam and Mason –as well as Derek, of course- knew everything. Hopefully, they wouldn’t have to repeat their quest to the Nemeton and what they encountered there.  
Everyone was mostly silent except from the occasional mumbling.   
They were all waiting for Derek to say something, and thinking in the meantime since they all arrived to the conclusion that something even bigger than they thought was going on.  
“Let’s sum up” Derek stood with his arms crossed over his chest. “How did this all begin?”   
“The missing girls, right?” Scott asked his best friend, who was too busy typing on his phone to hear him.  
“Stiles” Derek called him calmly. The boy didn’t hear him.  
“Stiles, who are you texting?” Malia insisted, loudly and sternly.  
“No one” At last he looked up, just then acknowledging all of them staring.  
“It’s Catori, isn’t it?” Kira smiled a little.  
“I’m worried, okay? Shut up!” He quickly saved his phone and focused his attention back on the rest. “You should have seen how freaked out she was”  
“It all started with the missing girls” Liam repeated for Scott, glancing at his friend Mason, who observed with intrigue. “The case the Sheriff had”  
“Yeah” Stiles licked his lips as he prepared to speak up. “Then the museum, where the werewolves stole that… triquetra thingy”  
“And after that, Scott and Stiles were attacked” Malia observed, briefly motioning over to them.  
“Before we say anything else, I just wanna point out that it all happens to revolve around Catori and that I was right” Stiles made a pause and acted nonchalant to the annoyed glares his friends threw him. “That is all”  
“I thought you liked Catori” The redhead smirked at him with superiority.  
“That doesn’t negate my statement, Lydia” His crankiness on the subject made her smile a little.  
“Anyway…” Derek dragged his eyes away from Stiles in annoyance. “Next Catori was taken, right?”  
“Yeah” Scott nodded in response. “We still have no idea why, though”  
“I…” The restless boy cleared his throat. “I might have another clue”  
He remembered that wound in Catori’s neck, shaped like claws. And even if he tried to conceal it, he felt himself blushing when he remembered what Catori and himself were doing when he felt it in her nape.  
“What is it?”  
“Catori had something in her neck… like they had stabbed her with claws there” He frowned and grimaced a bit at the thought of the pain she must have gone through.  
“So it was a werewolf” Kira observed. “Maybe George?”  
“Why would they do that to her neck?” Liam was confused, just like everyone else.  
The pack erupted in loud mumbling that only Scott and Stiles didn’t participate in. The two boys looked at each other.  
One more person was silent. Derek. His face had shifted completely, from calm and collected to shocked and panicked, and only Stiles had noticed.  
“What does that mean, Derek?” When the latter piped up, the racket died down.  
He had asked despite the fact that he knew. Just like Scott did, just like Lydia probably did too. The rest of them knew as well, but hadn’t realized what it was yet.   
“When a werewolf does that is for one thing only” The older boy replied, clenching his jaw. “Information”  
They all grew extremely silent, turning the environment of the room heavy and uncomfortable.   
“Were…” Malia broke the silence, staring at Derek in inquiry. “Were they trying to get into her head?”  
“Most likely” Scott replied for him. “And we need to find out why”  
“I knew there was something different about her” Stiles mumbled to himself, not really wanting to openly voice his thoughts again.  
“Alright” Derek adopted a thoughtful expression for a moment. “We need to know more about that pack, about the triquetra and about Catori”   
He was right, since even though they had a little bit of information for each of those things, it wasn’t nearly enough to figure everything out.   
“I’ll look more into the damn pack” The alpha sighed. “Maybe this time I’ll get more information”  
“What about the rest?” Asked Mason softly.  
“You guys talk to Deaton” Derek told Kira, Malia, Liam and Mason. “He probably knows more about why werewolves would be interested in a triquetra amulet”  
“What about Catori?” Scott looked at his friends. “Are we supposed to just figure out why they wanted to get into her head?”  
“Since you three are closer to her, you should try and make her remember what happened at the Nemeton” It was obvious by his expression that he wasn’t too happy with the idea, but that it was necessary. “Maybe then we’ll get some answers”  
“Are you crazy?” Stiles exclaimed, outraged. “She’s still in shock and nearly traumatized, we can’t just-“  
“Don’t rush her” Derek defended himself, lifting up a hand in a soothing gesture. “Just… try it”  
Stiles quickly looked at Lydia and then at Scott. Clearly, they didn’t want that either. But they had to do it. He just resigned himself, knowing Derek was right, and sighed sulkily.  
“Let’s hope we clear something up” With Derek’s words, that he accompanied with a gesture, everyone proceeded to leave.  
Each of them had a task to do. And hopefully their success would mean a big step that would help to solve the mystery. It was all like a puzzle, and they needed to figure out how the pieces fit together. Then everything would make sense.


	18. Memories

Catori looked up and smiled at Scott. It was very sweet of them to be staying with her at the Hudson family home to keep her company. But the girl had a feeling that there was something else.  
The way in which Scott, Lydia and Stiles always looked at her. Like they knew something she didn’t. Or like some words were left unspoken because of everything that happened. She understood that she was vulnerable and they didn’t want to rush her. Yet that was precisely what bothered her so much.  
Catori looked at her friend, who had visited her that time instead of Lydia and Stiles, and decided to speak up.  
“Scotty, can I ask you something?” The girl finally piped up.  
“Sure” Her friend gently smiled, with that immense kindness that defined him.  
“What is it with you guys?” She bit her lip, uneasy, and stared at him. “First Stiles, then Lydia and now you. I appreciate it but…”  
The boy, however, stopped her midsentence to speak himself.  
“We’re just worried about you” He rushed to say. “And we want you to feel safe. Besides, we love to keep you company”  
Catori knew Scott, and she didn’t have to be a werewolf to know he was nervous. Something was wrong.   
“What are you hiding from me?” She frowned in concern, and sent him a pleading look. “Don’t insult my intelligence pretending that everything’s okay. Please, tell me”  
Everything felt bad enough already. The constant nightmares. The lack of sleep. Staying at home because she couldn’t really bring herself to go out. The physical and mental damage done during the time she was taken. The feeling of imminent danger, knowing that those who kidnapped her were still free. But that her friends also kept secrets from her was just too much.  
Scott knew this. He could feel the mixture of her emotions, how sad and scared she was still feeling and how vulnerable and angry at the same time.   
He didn’t want to lie to her. She was back to almost being the true Catori, and he wanted to admit everything. So he did.  
The boy tilted his head and sighed in defeat.  
“We need you to remember what happened” To soften his words despite his already gentle tone, he sweetly held her hand. “Maybe if you do, it will help us know who they are once and for all”  
Catori froze in panic, and even though all she wanted to do was refuse and tell Scott she couldn’t, the girl was left speechless.  
“Tori?”   
“I… Scott, I don’t want to” She shut her eyes tight and shook her head, already trembling at the mere idea of reliving that harrowing experience.   
“Hey, I know” He shushed her kindly to soothe her restlessness. “You don’t have to do right now, it’s okay”  
“I just can’t” Being extra sensitive lately, she felt the need to hold Scott’s free hand. “I-I… Scott, I…”  
“We know it’s hard, that’s why we didn’t ask you to” To try and cheer her up, he smiled compassionately.   
Catori nodded and forced herself to be stronger. To take up her usual stubborn behavior and leave behind that terrible emotional and sensitive attitude that overcame her those days.  
The two friends stared there in silence for a moment, holding hands to her comfort.  
“There’s something more” Scott dared to say carefully.  
His friend took a deep breath and adopted a collected demeanor, embracing for the bad news.  
“What is it?”  
“That wound in your neck… it’s made from claws” He started slowly, observing her to study her reaction. “Which means…”  
Scott trailed off for a moment, wondering what the best way to put it was. In the pause, he stirred restlessly in the spot while Catori drove her hand to her nape, carefully feeling the bruise that still hurt.  
“Which means what?”  
“They were trying to get inside your head” Scott spoke fast, not really thinking much about his choice of words because he wanted to spit it out as fast as he could.  
“Why would they want to do that?”   
“We don’t know”   
Still, he couldn’t stop thinking about what Stiles kept saying. That Catori was something. That she was different, maybe a supernatural creature even. Yet as he observed her, sitting right in front of him, he didn’t notice anything even remotely supernatural about her.  
Then… why would they try to do that? Why look into her mind, maybe looking for her memories or thoughts? It didn’t make any sense.  
“I don’t understand anything at all” She mumbled, tired and fed up.  
“I know, but we’ll figure it out” Trying to display as much kindness and give her as much comfort as he could, he sent her a meaningful glance. “For now just focus on getting back to normal”  
“What about what you said?” The girl asked him, anxious. “Do I have to tell you if I remember something?”  
“Only if you feel comfortable enough to do it, okay?”   
“Thanks” Catori smiled a little, feeling grateful for her friends. Without them, she would feel even more lost and afraid.  
The both of them went in for a hug at the same time. They embraced the closeness and the warmth, the comfort of a friend’s hug. It definitely helped Catori feel better, probably because of his calm and kind aura as usual.  
“I should get going now” Scott made a pause to see if she stopped him, needing to have him around a bit longer. When she didn’t, he kept talking. “We have to see Deaton about the triquetra”  
“Who’s Deaton?” She asked as he stood from the bed and put his jacket back on to leave.  
“He’s my boss, at the veterinary clinic”   
“I never knew you worked there” Catori smiled a little, amused. “It suits you”  
After all, Scott McCall was always looking after everyone. It was only fitting that he took care of animals as well. It went along with him alright.  
Scott chuckled, very glad to see her smiling.  
“Yeah, I guess so”  
“And why are you meeting with him?”  
“He knows a lot about the supernatural”  
“Oh, okay”   
Scott opened the door of her room and stood still for a moment, staring at his friend.   
“Got any plans for today?”   
“You mean before or after your watch replacement?”   
He laughed at her sarcastic comment, especially because she was right. Stiles was supposed to arrive soon.  
“Before Stiles comes”   
“I might go out for a walk around the block” Catori lied down on the bed and stared at the ceiling in apathy. “I’ve been locked in my room for a few days now, I could use some fresh air”  
“That’s a good idea”   
The girl looked at him and decided to stand up and give him a last quick hug.   
“Thanks for everything, Scotty”   
The boy, pleasantly surprised by her sudden fit of affection, grinned widely and hugged her back.  
*  
Since their endeavor with Catori wasn’t really advancing, Scott indeed met Kira, Liam, Mason and Malia to go talk with Deaton. Before he came into the clinic, he saw Derek standing outside.  
“Anything on the pack?” Scott asked the young man, who shook his head in a negative gesture.  
“They know how to hide their trail” Derek shoved his hands on the pockets of his jacket. “I’m afraid that only Catori will be able to help us about that”  
“She still needs time” Scott defended her, not wanting to rush her.  
Derek pursed his lips, knowing his friend was right but still feeling a bit frustrated. They badly needed to know more about the pack, to take precautions and find a way to protect themselves from them. Even fight them. Know their enemy.  
But he didn’t say anything because just like Scott, he didn’t want to put Catori under that kind of pressure, especially after what happened. He was fond of her despite the fact that they weren’t too close. But Catori was fierce, smart and strong. And he liked her.  
“Tell me what you find out” Derek told him quietly. He felt too useless, and he hated not being able to help.   
Unfortunately, he didn’t find anything new about the pack no matter how hard he tried. And he didn’t really feel like standing there hearing Deaton ramble about symbols and everything supernatural.  
He was about to walk away when Scott stopped him. Almost as though he knew what passed his mind and wanted to remedy it.  
“Could you do me a favor?”   
“What is it?”  
“Stiles told me he would text me when he arrived at Catori’s, but he hasn’t yet” Scott shook his head slightly from side to side, resigned. “And she wanted to take a walk, but she’s alone and…”  
“I’ll go” Derek just replied, nodding once.  
“Thanks”   
The older one began to walk away, glancing at his friend one last time before he left. The other boy smiled a bit to himself and walked into the clinic.  
*  
Luckily, Derek easily found Catori. She was walking around the block, circling around her house in a small stroll to stretch her legs.  
“Catori” He called her, effortlessly catching up and positioning himself next to her to walk alongside the girl.  
She jolted up in fear and let out a startled squeak. Immediately, she sighed in relief and placed a hand upon her chest to try and calm her racing heart.  
“Derek…” Catori mumbled in frustration. “I’m not a freaking werewolf, I can’t hear you arrive!”  
“Sorry… Didn’t mean to scare you”   
“What are you doing here anyway?”   
“Scott-“  
“Say no more” She laughed a little, yet finding it endearing and heartwarming. It was obvious that Scott hated the idea of leaving her alone even if Stiles was to come when he left. But he couldn’t be trusted to arrive on time.  
“Babysitting again, huh?” The brown-haired girl rolled her eyes. “Sorry about that”  
“I don’t mind” He calmly replied, shrugging slightly. An awkward silence followed as they kept walking, only the sound of their shoes against the pavement breaking the tension. Derek piped up after a while. “How are you feeling?”   
“Slightly less terrified than a few days ago” Catori chuckled nervously. “But as you can see, still jumpy”   
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of” He fixed his eyes on her, trying to send her a reassuring look. “Everyone’s afraid of something”  
“Even you, big wolf?” She smiled a bit, softly yet cautiously nudging him on the side.  
“Even me” It made him smile in spite of himself.  
“The more you know”   
“This is yours, by the way” Knowing he would go to see Catori, Derek remembered about the totem they were keeping as a proof. Now that she was back and safe, he wanted to return it to its rightful owner.   
“I almost forgot about that!” The girl observed the wooden piece, which looked smaller in Derek’s big hands. “I thought Stiles would know something had happened to me if I dropped it and he found it”  
“Did he give it to you?”   
“Yeah” She chuckled. “It’s basically like a white flag”  
Derek recalled how Stiles disliked her at first, and he laughed a little at the simile.  
“Thank you” Catori softly smiled at him as she took it, which made him like her even more. That girl managed to get to everyone, they all ended up growing fond of her even if they were reluctant. Like Derek himself. Or Stiles. Catori was just charming in her own unique way.  
“Cat!” And speaking of the devil… The both of them turned around to see a running Stiles going over to them.   
Derek and Catori stopped walking and waited until Stiles eventually caught up with them as he jogged from the other side of the street.  
“I’m here!” He rushed to say, wheezing as he put a hand up in a sign that he needed a moment. “I’m here…”   
“Scott told me you’re late” Derek deadpanned, glancing at him with secret amusement. “What took you so long?”   
“Never mind that” The boy straightened himself up and heaved a breath. “I’m here now”  
“I can see that, Stiles”  
Catori smiled a little to herself, amused by their relationship. And more when the two of them stared at each other in silence, seizing the other.  
“I can take over from here, thank you” Stilinski piped up after a while.  
Derek looked at her just as her eyes fell on him too. They spoke without any words, and their smiles told them they were thinking the same thing.  
If they didn’t know him any better, they would say Stiles was… jealous.  
*  
As he looked around to his friends, Scott realized he wasn’t the only one taken aback by the new information.  
“You think it would only make sense if it was an amulet instead of a vase?” The boy repeated, dumbfounded. “And that they’re trying to use it because the triquetra has great power?”  
“Yes” Deaton nodded. “The vase itself would be useless, but I have heard of powerful amulets used in varied schemes”   
“But would it have the power to be actually used?”  
“I thought you knew about this” The man was taken aback by their surprise. “Didn’t Catori tell you?”   
“She didn’t know much” Kira made a face and shrugged a little.  
“All Tori told us was that it was similar to a triskelion and could allude to trio principles like alpha, beta and omega” Scott made a pause, trying to remember what Stiles told him Catori said a while back. “And that it shows a connection between those ideals and just that unlike the triskelion, it doesn’t show growth or evolution”   
“She was partially right, it represents vital cycles” The veterinarian tilted his head. “But not completely right”  
“What does that mean?” Malia piped up, frowning in confusion.  
“It means that with the right means it can trigger its power and use the triquetra’s properties”  
“Which are?”  
The man was silent for a moment, feeling like what he was about to say would change everything. It was crucial information, but not necessarily good.  
“The triquetra is characterized by its healing or killing properties”   
“Guess which one the bad guys want…” Liam heaved a shaky sigh.  
“And what are those means they would need to unleash its power?” Mason looked at his friend and then back at Deaton.  
“The triquetra needs of a smaller power in order to be used, to be activated” The man gravely told them. “And only a supernatural power can do that”  
“Where would they find that?”  
“It has to be a very specific one, like that of a banshee or any other similar creature”   
“Why didn’t they use Lydia then?” Malia observed calmly. “She’s a banshee”  
“Maybe that’s why so many girls went missing” Mason thought. “They were trying to find someone with that power”  
“Wait…” Kira gasped in realization. “Is that why they took Catori?”   
The room turned completely silent. They looked at each other, not daring to say a word. It wasn’t really necessary since they knew what they had to do next.   
Turned out Stiles was right about Catori in the end.  
*  
Being in Catori’s room again feel strange yet exhilarating for Stiles. It made him feel like he was extremely close to her, almost like he could have a peek inside her persona. After all, a bedroom says a lot about a person.  
“Well…” As he shrugged, the boy rose his arms motioning to the room. “Here we are”  
Catori saw his arms open and approached him. Even though she saw him yesterday, she was extremely happy to meet him again. She wanted to hug him. And his arms were wide open, which probably meant that he sought the embrace as well. So she went for it.  
The girl collided with him and squeezed his torso against her. However, she felt him turning stiff and looked up at him.  
“Wow” He mumbled in amazement, looking down to her. “What…?”  
“This… this was your fault!” Catori quickly broke the hug and averted her eyes from him, embarrassed.  
“What? Why?”  
“I thought you wanted me to hug you… your-your arms were open and…”  
Since Stiles was so shocked, he couldn’t reply. He just stared at her, still not believing Catori Hudson hugged him, Stiles Stilinski, spontaneously.   
“I was just cold” She lied, turning red both from embarrassment and annoyance.   
“Here then” Quickly, he simply took his hoodie off and put it over her shoulders. “You’re always cold, aren’t you?”   
“I have tons of hoodies here. It’s my room, remember?”  
“I just want you to have mine, don’t be a grumpy cat!”   
Catori dedicated him an exasperated look to show him how done she was because of that silly little pun again. Since he just gave her a goofy grin, she rolled her eyes and let it be.  
The girl just put her arms through the sleeves of his hhodie and lied down on her bed.  
“This is gonna be fun” She mumbled to herself, half sarcastically and half seriously.   
Slowly, almost as though he was trying to make sure she was okay with it, Stiles sat down with her. It reminded him of that day they spent at his place. The day they kissed. They hadn’t talked about it again, like it never happened. Even if Stiles was dying to debate about its implications, or at least to do it again.  
As an excuse to be closer to her, he lied on his side next to her and rubbed her arm to keep her warm. He actually wished she’d go to sleep, she seemed exhausted.  
An awkward silence settled in Catori’s bedroom since none of them said anything. They didn’t really know what to say. That was exactly why Stiles decided to break the ice. He stirred a little before he gathered the courage to speak up.  
“If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell anyone?”  
Catori sent him a glare full of suspicion and curiosity.  
“What is it?” She gave in after a few seconds.  
“I was late because I was finishing this” The boy gingerly took something out of his pocket, holding it carefully like it was a baby.  
“A dreamcatcher?” Catori sat up and gently took it from his hands.  
“It might help with your nightmares” He shrugged like it was no big deal. “And it also goes along with your heritage, just like the totem”   
The boy fixed his eyes on the totem that Catori put over her bedside table. He smiled to himself, recalling what she told him a while ago about Derek giving it back to her. Stiles liked that she got his gift back.   
When he gazed at her, his smile widened since she was admiring the objet in her hands. Nimbly, she got on her knees on the bed and faced the headboard, hanging the dreamcatcher from it. As she returned to her previous sitting position, her eyes fell on him. Stiles was staring back at her, almost admiring her calmly.  
“Thank you” Thinking that doing it fast would negate it, she pecked his cheek briefly.  
They lied on their backs without saying a word, blushing and with a confusing combination of emotions and thoughts bursting inside them. Catori held back the need to snuggle closer to him.  
“Can I tell you something back?” She whispered, feeling herself fidgety and uneasy.   
“Sure”  
“I guess you need to tell everyone about it, though…” Catori sighed in resignation. “I just feel more comfortable telling you about it”   
She didn’t understand why, though. Lydia and Scott were her friends as much as Stiles was, probably even more due to her differences with the latter. Yet somehow she knew what their reactions would be to their confession. Scott would freak out and she didn’t want to show weakness in front of him just because of it. Lydia would hide it better, but… The girl just knew that Stiles would be the only one that wouldn’t make a big deal out of it. Even if it was, even if it was huge.   
But he would pretend like it wasn’t. He would stay calm for her and act like she needed him to. That was why she wanted to tell him and no one else. Even if they would eventually have to pass the information over to the rest.  
Stiles observed her expectantly, waiting to see what was so important.   
“I remember a woman” Catori gulped, seeing as her memories were even more painful than she thought. “S-She was the alpha, and she was the one that did this to my neck”  
When the boy noticed she was talking about what happened at the Nemeton, he opened his eyes wide in shock and intently listened. His shoulders grew stiff.  
“I don’t remember much, just tiny pieces here and there…”  
“Hey, anything helps”  
Catori nodded and rummaged through her mind, trying to gather any memories no matter how small and insignificant.  
“There were werewolves and other creatures I don’t even know… And they all gave me the creeps, but especially that woman… I don’t know what she was”  
“Do you remember who she was, though?” Stiles urged her, feeling like they were so close to solving the puzzle. “Did you know her?”  
“I don’t remember… It’s all kinda hazy”  
“Anything else then?”  
“I remember something they said… It was me who they were looking for. And they wanted me for something”  
When she became silent, Stiles figured she was finished talking. He stared at her in concern, hating he was always right. She had something to do with the other girls missing. Those girls were taken because the bad guys thought they were Catori. They were looking for her. And apparently, to get something from her. Which explained why she was different or special somehow.   
Catori sighed deeply and that caught his attention. She was anxious. When it came to her, Stiles was almost like a werewolf. He could almost feel her restlessness since he knew her so well. He didn’t need Scott’s powers to know.  
“What was the last time you trained jujitsu?” He snapped out of the blue.  
Her first response was a funny face of perplexity. Then she gawked at him as she opened and closed her mouth, trying to find words to speak her mind.  
“What the hell does that have to do with anything?”  
“I bet it helps you vent your anger and anxiety” He smirked, proud of his idea. Then he picked up a pillow and held it over his chest. That smirk lingered on his lips, silly and quite adorable.   
“Are you going to be my punching bag, Stiles?” Smug as well, she stood up from the bed.  
“I mean, I can try…”   
Catori grinned, knowing what he was doing. And it was indeed a good idea.  
It distracted her and also helped her get rid of all her repressed emotions. Just like jujitsu did before she stopped training.   
It was things like these why she liked him so much.  
*  
Catori was about to open the front door so Stiles could leave the house when it opened by itself. Lucy appeared, accompanied by no other than Scott McCall.  
“Mom?”   
“Hi” Mrs. Hudson waved to her daughter and to her friend. “I ran into Scott and he was coming here too”  
“Just wanted to check on you guys” He dedicated them his sweet smile and did a cute shrug.  
“Well, come on in” Catori invited him in. “We can hang out”  
Scott and Stiles went into the living room while the girl greeted her mother.  
“How are you, sweetie?” The woman kissed her daughter in the cheek.  
“I’m fine, Stiles was with me”   
“These friends of yours are lovely”  
“They sure are” Catori looked over her shoulder to them and thought that she was so fond of those two nerds.  
“Sorry that I’m so late” Lucy mumbled as she took her coat off. “Got hold back at the museum”  
“How so?”  
“Apparently there was an amulet inside that vase that disappeared the day of the robbery”   
“And they tell you just now?”  
“It seems they just discovered it”  
“Well… Now that you’re home you should get some rest, mom”  
“You have fun with your friends, Catori”  
They briefly hugged and the girl then went to join their friends. She frowned when she realized they were murmuring and Stiles slapped Scott’s arms in restlessness.  
“What’s going on?” Catori announced her presence, seeing as they hadn’t noticed. Well, Stiles didn’t. Scott probably did.  
“Did your mom say there was an amulet in the vase?” The latter asked her while the other boy was in deep thought.  
“Yeah, why?”  
“Deaton talked about it, not even knowing it actually existed”  
Just then, Stiles interrupted them. He broke out of his daydream and fidgeted around, wrapping her wrist and pulling at her.  
“We need to talk”  
*  
Scott left, claiming he was needed somewhere else and he had just passed by to quickly check on her. Catori knew it was Stiles’ doing since he wanted to be alone with her. She knew the two of them two well already.  
Stiles and Catori took a walk even after the one she took with Derek. But this one was much longer as they needed to talk about so many things.  
The boy updated her in everything that happened during the day, and after that they were just too far away from the Hudson residence and decided to wander around. It didn’t take them too much longer to walk back because Catori just turned around and began heading home, fed up with wandering.   
When they engaged in conversation again after it died down, they were almost home again.  
“You look exhausted” He piped up, observing her.  
“Maybe because I am” She tiredly grumped, dragging her feet along the ground.  
¬“Come on, grumpy Cat” Stiles chuckled, nudging her kindly. “When was the last time you got a good night’s sleep?”  
“Let me see…” The girl pretended to be thoughtful. “I think it was before I found out that my friends were supernatural creatures. Or before I was kidnapped by murderous werewolves and their alpha. Somewhere in there”  
“You still got it” He laughed a little, amused by her fierce sarcasm.  
Catori wanted to reply, but didn’t in the end. She couldn’t be bothered to do so, not being able to think anything witty enough in response. Besides, the girl was so exhausted that even being on her feet felt like a challenge.  
Those last few days had been crazy, she got very little sleep and her constant mental state didn’t help. Not to mention the walk with Derek and then Stiles and the improvised jujitsu training. Catori didn’t even remember the last time she felt so was worn out.  
Stiles observed her in silence with an evil grin as they entered the house. She lazily yelled a greeting to the house, to wherever her mother Lucy was.  
The boy walked her up the stairs, watching that she didn’t wobble and being ready to reach out to support her if needed. Once in her room again, Catori tiredly plopped down on the bed. Stiles couldn’t suppress an amused chuckle.  
“You okay over there?” He tried to hide his smirk as he walked closer to have a better look at her.  
“Mhm” The girl hummed affirmatively, too exhausted to even speak.  
She had closed her eyes and embraced the great feeling of lying down to give her sore muscles a breather. Besides, with all those crazy events from the last days she was emotionally tired as well.   
“What do you say, are you up to-?” When the boy turned to look at her, he noticed she had fallen asleep.  
Stiles grinned to himself as he put the blanket over her. His plan had worked.


	19. Vanessa

If high school was usually bad, it seemed to be just awful to Catori. She wondered why she was there for starters, especially after the incredibly vivid and terrifying nightmare she had last night. She had to remind herself that it was for her friends. And also to achieve a routine, a more regular pace and stability that would hopefully help her get over it.  
Lydia was also silent after her friend told her everything Scott and Stiles explained to Catori herself the other day. Basically tell her everything she needed to know.  
The air felt tense around them, so Catori made an effort to relief the tension by changing the subject to a more trivial and fun one. The first thing that came to mind was Stiles, because she had spotted him at the end of the hall. He and Scott stopped to chat there.  
“Look at that stupid face” She mumbled, foreseeing Lydia’s reaction to what she was about to say. “I wanna kiss it all over, why do I wanna do that, Dee?”  
To her surprise, the redhead didn’t even bat an eye. She just tilted her head and observed him in silence, poised.  
“Stiles can be very cute” Lydia said in the end, fondly admiring him.  
“Can be” Her friend repeated for emphasis.  
“Why the change?” The redhead curiously turned to her. “Why do you openly tell me this all of a sudden? Did something happen?”  
Catori turned a bright shade of pink at the thought of it. Yet she wanted to share it with Lydia.  
“There’s one thing, but you’re gonna make me regret I told you” Knowing her friend, she would get super excited and embarrass her. And Catori didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.  
“I’ll behave” Lydia grinned softly and held her friend’s hands in excitement. “C’mon, tell me”  
“You promise not to tell anyone? Not Scott, not Kira. Not even Stiles!”  
“I promise” She rolled her eyes tiredly. “Spit it out, Catori!”  
Preparing to reveal the truth, the aforesaid took a deep breath.  
“Stiles and I kissed” She quickly said, embracing for the squealing and the flailing and the exhilaration. But instead she just earned a gasp of surprise and satisfaction before her friend replied.  
“Is that his sweater you’re wearing?” Lydia was smart and observant, of course she noticed.  
“Yeah, but nothing huge happened” Mortified, Catori rolled her eyes. “He just lent it to me because I was cold”  
“You gotta tell me everything about that kiss” Lydia’s grin would not fade from her lips as she intently stared and listened.  
Shaking her head in compliance, Catori opened her mouth to talk, already overwhelmed with a warm feeling at the thought of that moment.  
“Hi, guys” Scott interrupted them, showing them a bright and friendly smile.  
Catori panicked when she realized he probably heard the whole thing.  
To pretend like nothing happened, Lydia lowered their hands even though she did not let go of her friend’s. That meant she still wanted to hear all the details about their kiss, just later.  
“Hi” The redhead casually replied.  
“How’s it going?” Stiles accommodated his bag over his back.  
While Lydia told them about their classes to start conversation, Scott and Catori stared at each other. She mouthed the words ‘did you hear us?’ to him, not wanting Stiles to know about it. Hopefully, he would be too busy chatting with Lydia to notice any of it. Scott nodded his head yes in response.  
Catori opened her eyes wide in horror and felt the color draining from her face out of sheer distress. Seeing this, he chuckled a little and communicated with his eyes, telling her it was okay. Nothing to be embarrassed about.  
“What’s going on with you two?” Stiles was perplexed by their odd behavior.  
“Nothing” Scott said for her.  
The familiar sound of the bell ringing luckily interrupted them and told them they had to go to class.  
It still felt odd to go back to normal, retrieve the routine and pretend like nothing had ever happened. Carry on with their lives like the supernatural didn’t even exist in Beacon Hills.  
Scott and Lydia were already heading to the classroom together, but Catori wanted to spend a moment alone with the other boy.  
“Stiles” Catori called him before he could leave, and once they were alone.  
He turned back round to face her, his eyebrows arched in a friendly inquiring tone.  
“Yeah, Cat?”  
“You forgot to take this back yesterday” She pulled at the sleeves of the hoodie she was wearing to keep her hands covered and warm.  
“I thought it looked familiar” The boy smiled as he saw how adorable she looked in it since it was a little too big on her.  
“Thanks” She was about to take it off to give it back to him.  
Even though she didn’t want to and she was doing it because she had to. Catori nearly kept it home in the hopes that he would forget about it so she could ‘steal’ it from him. The girl secretly loved wearing it, but in the end the guilt convinced her to give it back to him.  
“No, keep it” Stiles said to her surprise, adjusting the jacket over her. “I want you to have it”  
She sweetly smiled at him as she glanced into his beautiful caramel brown eyes. And tried not to think about what Lydia and Scott would be saying about them to their backs.  
“Did you sleep well last night?” He awkwardly asked to change the subject.  
“Do you think I’m stupid?  
“What?”  
“I know what you did” Catori smirked, giving him a smug look. “I know you tired me on purpose so I would shut up and go to sleep out of pure exhaustion”  
“Well…” Stiles gulped and watched her cautiously, not sure of her reaction. For all he knew, she could start screaming at him. Or she could just walk away and never talk to him again.  
So when she finally spoke again, it surprised him.  
“Thanks, you nerd” Grinning widely, she gave him a kiss on the cheek and left.  
“You’re welcome” He replied with a tiny smile, even if she couldn’t hear him. He just fidgeted around to keep up with her and follow her into the classroom.  
*  
An overwhelming feeling of dread overcame Catori as she exited her Literature class. For the entirety of the hour, she kept her head low and tried not to be noticed by the teacher. And as she exited the classroom she felt almost like something would attack her any moment. Jump on her and hurt her again.  
Nothing had really happened that would explain her unease, yet the mere fact of being there was reason enough for her. That’s when she knew she had to talk to her friends about her nightmare. Because she couldn’t keep it secret anymore.  
The three of them walked out of the classroom, more than ready to enjoy the break. But Catori stood in the threshold, nervous and jittery.  
“Guys, I need to tell you something” She piped up in apprehension.  
Her hands shook a little and so did her legs, which threatened to stop holding her weight. A void settled on her chest that made it hard for her to breathe.  
“What’s wrong?” Stiles, who had been smiling just a second ago because of the conversation with his friends, turned gloomy as soon as he saw her expression.  
“Scott, you said that I should tell you if I remembered anything else” The girl was positive that Stiles had already passed all the information she told him over to their friend as she couldn’t do it herself. “And I did”  
“You know you don’t have to tell us unless you want to” The boy wanted to make sure she was comfortable doing so. “No pressure”  
“I… want to” Catori replied gravely, gulping at the thought of keeping that burden to herself and being scared in secret again. “I… I need to”  
“What did you remember?” Lydia asked worriedly, holding her hand in a silent sample of affection and support.  
“I had a nightmare last night” Her brown-haired friend started, fixing her green eyes on Stiles since he was the one that helped her fall asleep. “Well, not a nightmare… I… I dreamt m-memories”  
“What did you dream about?” Scott mumbled, picking up the sound of her heart beating slightly faster than before.  
“The alpha” Catori squeezed Lydia’s hand in fear when the memories flashed back as images, vivid as though she could see them right that moment. “It was her”  
Everyone wanted to ask who she was, who Catori was referring to. But then someone passed by and made them turn silent. No one needed to hear that conversation.  
It was their Literature teacher, Vanessa. The woman smugly walked by them, sending them a confident and cheeky glare to all of them. Even though her eyes lingered on Catori.  
It seemed like she knew what they were talking about. She knew they had figured out who she was, and she did not give a damn about it.  
Catori couldn’t keep her eyes off her even if the sight of her made her weak and queasy. Everything about Vanessa brought the girl back to her time held captive at the Nemeton.  
Her black blueish hair. Her dark and mesmerizing eyes that she made shine with a supernatural glow since she had never done so before. Her long nails painted a crimson red. Even her outfit brought back memories: a dark leather jacket with fur on the inside, her brown shorts with long socks that went up to the knees and her boots. Catori especially remembered the sound of her boots against the ground as she walked. It sent chills down her spine because she used to turn into a shaking and sobbing mess every time that sound arrived to her ears.  
The three of them gawked at Vanessa as she walked away. Then her eyes fell upon Catori, who stared at the ground to avert her glance from them.  
None of the four friends said or did anything. They just stood there in the middle of the hall in complete silence.  
*  
“Are you gonna say something, Dee?” Once regained her composure, Catori tried to comfort her friend. “You’ve been quiet for two hours now”  
“I can’t believe we’re actually in class like nothing happens” Lydia was nibbling on her pen, something unlike her that Catori never expected to see.  
“At least we’re on our lunch break” The brown-haired girl rolled her eyes with a sarcastic smile. “Even if we’re standing in the empty halls because we’re not hungry enough to go to the cafeteria”  
“You mean because we’re too distressed to eat anything, honey” Lydia fixed her green eyes on her friend. “Our Literature teacher is a psychopath that tried to kill you”  
“At least Derek might do something about it” The other girl shrugged, falsely calm. “Hopefully Scott and Stiles will manage to contact him and tell him about Vanessa”  
Just like Stiles gave Catori a kind but restless feeling and Scott radiated a calming and sweet aura, Derek transmitted sensations to her just by his mere presence.  
It was an imposing one, which just made her feel safe at all times. Like Derek would protect her and all of them no matter what. Even if Catori wasn’t really too close to him, but it comforted her to know her friends were gone to fetch him.  
“I always felt strange about her” Catori reflected on her own feelings. “Like my gut was trying to warn me”  
“You have a great instinct then” Lydia absently replied, her eyes focused on the floor in deep thought and shock still. The other girl nodded to herself. Her instinct had never failed her so far.  
It told her Vanessa was crazy and twisted. That Lydia was sassy yet loyal and friendly. That Stiles, despite being distrustful of her and a complete jerk at first, was good. That Scott was extremely kind and selfless.  
Yet Catori wanted to be a free spirit and do whatever her heart told her to. And she didn’t always follow her instinct nor her friends’ advice, which often lead her to many problems and scares.  
“Derek’s outside!” Stiles broke her train of thought appearing all of a sudden, also getting Lydia back to reality.  
When the girls looked up to him, he was already running towards her. He simply held both their hands and yanked at them to take Lydia and Catori with him to meet with Derek.  
*  
“At least all my research wasn’t completely useless” Derek sighed after he heard about the news of Vanessa being the alpha they had been looking for.  
“Did you find out about her then?” Stiles asked him, biting his bottom lip.  
“Yes, but I thought she was dead” The young man calmly shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “She probably started the rumors herself”  
Apparently, she didn’t even bother in taking a fake new name to hide her identity. That said a lot about her. It definitely told Catori that she did not want to mess with her. It would be perfectly okay if she never saw her again nor even heard the name ‘Vanessa’.  
“What do you know about her?” Scott wondered out loud.  
Everyone attentively heard what Derek had to say as he licked his lips before he kept talking.  
“That she’s extremely powerful” He made a pause, trying to gather any possible data about Vanessa. “And we should never underestimate her”  
“Any idea what she is?” Lydia intervened. “Is she a werewolf?”  
“Apparently not” Derek pursed his lips together in annoyance to himself. “I don’t know what she is yet. But I assure you, I’ll figure it out”  
As he said those last words, his intense green eyes fell over her darker ones. In a silent promise that he would do it, for her friend.  
“Knowing she’s the alpha…” Catori began to say with a tiny smile of gratitude that only he caught. “Do you know who else is in the pack? We only know about George”  
“Unfortunately, she’s been very secretive and careful about her pack so I don’t know much” The young man briefly glanced at Scott, then at Stiles and lastly at Lydia before his eyes fell upon Catori again to respond to her question. “But I feel like that Norman guy has something to do with her still”  
“You were sure there were two packs” Stiles reminded him in a factual voice. “And that he was the alpha of a weaker pack”  
“They might be allies” Scott contributed to his friend’s data.  
“George…” Catori was in deep thought. “It’s been a while since we last saw him”  
“Wha…” Stilinski gawked at her in disbelief. “What? You’re missing that son of a bitch that tried to kill you multiple times?”  
“No, of course not!” She exclaimed in response. “But he was like her right-hand man”  
“You’re right” Impressed by her ability to put things together, he stared at her in the hopes that she would keep speaking. “What’s your point then?”  
“Remember that day in class? He wasn’t there and she was suspiciously okay with it” Catori frowned, shivering at the thought. “Even proud of it”  
“Are you saying she killed him?” Lydia wondered.  
Catori shrugged, even if she was nodding at the same time.  
“He had never skipped class before, and after that he went M.I.A for a while”  
“It definitely sounds like her” Derek added with a solemn expression. “She’s easily angered and violent”  
“She sounds like fun” Lydia sarcastically said, tiredly rolling her eyes.  
“So?” Stiles held his hands up in restlessness. “What are we gonna do?”  
“For starters, try and find out what Vanessa is” Derek replied, taking that responsibility upon himself. “And try to understand the rest of it all”  
“What about the triquetra?” Catori was worried about that. “What did she want that for?”  
“Nothing good” Scott sighed, remembering what Deaton told them. “It has healing or killing properties. They’re probably looking for the latter”  
“We should look into it then” The girl replied with determination. “Maybe then we’ll know what her plans with it are”  
“What about you?” Stiles insisted, staring at her with a frown.  
“What about me?”  
“We need to figure out what you are too!”  
“What?!”  
“Tori, Vanessa needed a certain power for the triquetra” Scott interfered, explaining it to her calmly. “She needed you”  
“I don’t have any kind of power” The girl began to get scared by their insinuations. “I’m not anything!”  
“Look” Stiles reassured her. “It’s not like I think you’re gonna kill us all anymore”  
“Thanks”  
“But the thing is” He kept talking, ignoring her sarcastic comment. “There’s a reason why all of this is happening, and the answer is within you”  
“Once we figure out what you are” Lydia nodded, agreeing with them. “We’ll know what’s happening”  
“So we need to do some homework” Stiles clapped his hands, prepared and excited to find the truth. Maybe use his board to put things together.  
But Catori was far away from there in her mind. Everything that was going on was overwhelming, it was strange and confusing, it was anguishing!  
Without a word, she just turned around and began to walk. Why or where, she didn’t know. She just needed to go, get away from there.  
The others looked amongst themselves, but didn’t say anything. They reckoned she needed some time alone to clear her mind.  
“Hey, Kit Kat!” But Stiles followed after her, not thinking twice.  
Catori rolled her eyes and tiredly turned around, sending Stiles the most fed up of looks.  
“Stop with the stupid nicknames already!”  
The boy smirked, which told her that he probably came up with it and used it just to annoy her. Even if he didn’t like it because it really did sound stupid.  
“Where are you going?” He asked, walking alongside her and letting his caramel brown eyes linger on her.  
“I don’t know” She honestly replied. “To take a walk”  
“I’ll go with you” Stiles grinned a little, trying to act cool and casual. “Got nothing better to do anyway”  
“Really?” Catori kept her eyes ahead. “Nothing? Not even try and figure all this mess out?”  
“It can wait” He was pigheaded about it, he wanted to go with her. Not only because he was reluctant to leave her alone again after all she went through. But he also craved her company, he needed to keep her around for his own content.  
*  
She didn’t know how it happened, but suddenly Catori was happy. A while ago she was scared, sad and anxious, but there she was now. They were together in a park, not saying anything as they were sitting very close to the other. And she was… smiling.  
“You want one?” Stiles suddenly broke the silence.  
When she looked at him, he was holding up a Kit Kat wrapper. The girl was completely sure that he deliberately bought it just to make that joke.  
He chuckled at her annoyed face, so she slapped the chocolate off his hands. Even if an amused and delighted grin appeared on her lips.  
“I wanna buy something, probably more Kit Kat” He innocently said, even though looking away not to have to hold her death glare. “Wanna come?”  
“I’m tired and don’t feel like it, thanks” Catori replied with a smirk.  
“Fine, want anything then?”  
“Yeah, maybe some Nerds”  
It took Stiles a few seconds to reply, it definitely caught him off guard.  
“Touché” He bowed his head in defeat and left.  
Once he did, she widely grinned at his adorable goofiness. It was unbelievable for her that she was so fond of someone like him. That she actually liked Stiles, that she enjoyed being with him so much yet at the same time it brought jittery butterflies to her stomach.  
Her phone suddenly rang with a text notification, so she read it.  
_You ok?_ It was Lydia, she was probably worried after Catori walked off. She was probably asking in behalf of everyone too.  
_Yeah._ She quickly replied, nimbly moving her thumbs to the right keys. _Stiles is still with me, though._  
She added an annoyed emoji to that last sentence.  
_You love that and you know it._ Lydia replied immediately, not goofed by her make believe.  
_I like being with him and keeping him around._ Catori confessed, just because it was Lydia. _So?_  
_So… that’s probably because you like him, sweetheart._ Lydia simply replied. Even through message, Catori could feel her sass. Could almost hear her voice and imagine the way in which she would phrase that sentence.  
_I hate that you’re always right, Dee._ The girl sent her, resigned. _Does it come with being a banshee?_  
Lydia sent a laughing emoji and after a few seconds another message.  
_No, that’s just part of my charm_  
“What’s with all the texting?” Stiles was suddenly back, causing her to jolt up in surprise. She blushed as she looked up at him, like she was doing something she shouldn’t be even if it wasn’t the case.  
“Lydia was worried” The girl replied, quickly but carefully saving her phone back on her pocket.  
“I’m with you, there’s nothing to worry about”  
“Yeah, I’ll protect you from everything” Catori grinned, amused by the goofy face he displayed. “You’ll be fine, Stiles”  
“See?” He humored her with a chuckle. “I knew it”  
Stiles smirked as he sat down next to Catori and began munching on a bag of chips while he absently gave her something. An actual bag of Nerds, which made her laugh in spite of herself. She noticed that he had put a wrapped of Kit Kat on his lap as well while he ate the chips.  
“You nerd” Catori mumbled as she began eating her candy.  
“Weirdo” He jokingly replied back, reminiscing when they used to call each other that. It felt like that was so long ago, back when they couldn’t stand each other.  
There they were now, sitting together and playfully teasing each other while they enjoyed the other’s company. Because they couldn’t really be away from the other.  
However, the fun was ruined when Catori was randomly reminded of the actual situation. It had been nice to forget about everything for a while, but the reality remained the same: Vanessa was probably onto them, and she was planning to use a powerful amulet for something evil. Not to mention that she gathered that power from Catori herself, who apparently was a supernatural creature of sorts.  
“Stiles…” She began to say worriedly, needing to hear something positive from him.  
“Shut up” The boy answered immediately, not letting her speak.  
“Excuse me?” Catori snapped, offended.  
“Don’t even say it, party pooper” Stiles winked at her as he gently nudged her. “Just enjoy the calm”  
“You don’t even know what I was going to say”  
“Oh, I do” He assured, staring at her in a strange way. Even if it was sweetly and fondly. “I could tell by your tone”  
Catori frowned, feeling strange at the thought that he knew her so well.  
“In that case” She stood up, deciding to oblige and forget about the situation just for a while longer. “I’ll just leave if you are gonna be like that”  
His voice was muffled as he exclaimed something, since he had stuffed his mouth with chips. Fidgeting around, he quickly stood up and followed after her in a rush.  
The girl stopped mid step when she heard a loud thud behind her. The stupid had fallen to the floor. She couldn’t help but to laugh as she walked over to him and kneeled by his side, giving him a funny look.  
“I’m fine” He told her even if she hadn’t even asked yet. “I just tripped”  
Catori put her hair behind her ear and sat down on the floor as she observed him, still laughing a little. As he recovered and looked at her, he couldn’t hide a big genuine smile that spread all over his face. His eyes seemed to be smiling too judging by that cheerful twinkle in them. The same twinkle that shone in her beautiful green eyes.  
Since none of them were moving, just glancing into each other’s eyes, she was the first one to do something. Bashful, she averted her eyes and moved them to his hands. She carefully picked one of them up and examined it.  
“You’re hurt” She mumbled as she carefully passed her fingertips through the mild scratches on his skin.  
“I’ll heal” Stiles chuckled, still letting his eyes linger on her.  
She noticed this with the corner of her eye, so Catori cleared her throat and gingerly wrapped her hand around his. Standing up, she carefully pulled at him to put him to his feet.  
Stiles didn’t say anything, he just let her take over the conversation –or the lack of it –and the route as she began walking.  
None of them let go of the other’s hand.  
*  
Catori was almost sad as they arrived to her place.  
It felt like the ending of a fairy tale, like the wonderful charm of fantasy and magic was being broken by the undeniable and overwhelming weight of reality.  
“Thanks for today” Catori knew she didn’t have to specify, he would know what she meant.  
“I had a great time too” Stiles told her back, tenderly smiling at her in a way that caused her to purse her lips tightly not to reciprocate the gesture.  
As she looked at him, the girl wondered how it all happened. When they first met each other, hatred and distrust was all there was yet suddenly they were intimate. They… liked each other, somehow!  
She felt the urge to call Lydia at that very moment and discuss the subject with her even if she would probably regret it due to her teasing and overly excited attitude towards her feelings for Stiles.  
“I’ll see you around” The boy squeezed her hand and finally let go of it after the whole way back holding it. “We have work to do”  
With a subtle sigh, Catori nodded in silence. She knew that, as soon as Stiles left and she walked back home, everything would get back to worrying and overthinking. About Vanessa, about the other pack, about the triquetra. About everything.  
Noticing how quiet and defeated she looked, Stiles decided to take a risk. Also because he felt the need to do it for himself. So he leaned closer and kissed her cheek tenderly. Immediately after, her hand tightly clutched his arm.  
“I’m sorry! I-” He shouted on an instinct, expecting her to tell him off for not asking first. But when he looked at her he frowned in concern. “Cat?”  
The reason why she held onto him wasn’t because she was upset that he kissed her. She felt dizzy and weak and needed him for support.  
Her eyes were out of focus as though her mind was far away from there. She looked pale and unstable as Stiles held her up, scared and worried.  
“Catori?” He insisted, gently shaking her to try and get a reaction from her.  
“Vanessa…” The girl whispered, hanging her head low in exhaustion. “And Chandrika. On the moonlight, with the triquetra. Full moon…”  
“What? What are you saying, what is that supposed to mean?”  
Catori groaned, complaining like she was straining herself or was in a mild pain. Then she loudly gasped and nearly fell to the floor, if it weren’t for Stiles arms around her.  
“What happened?” She uttered feebly, looking up at him as he helped her stand up straight. Her expression was a rare one, filled with vulnerability, confusion and unease.  
“I’m taking you to Deaton right now” Determined and serious, he wrapped an arm around her waist and took her with him. “That’s what’s happening, Cat”  
“Did I black out?” Trusting in him, she rested her weight on him and followed as he started distancing himself from the Hudson residence.  
“I think you did more than that” Stiles said gravely. “I think you just did something supernatural”


	20. Clueless

The Jeep was completely silent as Stiles drove to the animal clinic where Deaton was hopefully at. He had already called Scott and asked him to gather Derek and everyone.  
Catori sat in the copilot seat, dead silent and with a terrible feeling of dread on her gut that wouldn’t fade. She knew that something had happened when she blacked out.  
When she thought all those strange things that happened to her –the deja vus, the visions, the hunches, the strange feelings and dreams –were starting to stop, they came again to frighten her once more.   
She glanced at Stiles, restless about his reaction. He was completely quiet and his eyes were glued to the road ahead. Even if his fingers frantically drummed against the steering wheel in apprehension.  
She was scared that he began seeing her in a different way because of her highly probable supernatural nature. There definitely was proof that she was… something.   
It was an irrational fear, though. Stiles’ best friend was a werewolf –an alpha, on top of all –juts like Derek was. Lydia was a banshee, and even though Catori didn’t know in depth, she knew that Kira and Malia were something too. Why would Stiles be afraid of her when finding out she was something supernatural? He shouldn’t look at her differently. But the girl couldn’t help but to eat her head, since he was –apparently –the only human member of the pack. Overall now that they were finding out so much about Catori herself.   
She felt incredibly silly about all of that was going through her head, but she just needed to test it. So Catori linked her arm with his and cuddled to his side, seeking the physical comfort as well. Needing to get it from him and only from him.  
“What are you doing?” He asked in disbelief even if he didn’t scoot away nor complain.   
“Shut up” She replied simply as she put her head on his shoulder.  
“You okay?” Knowing that she was probably feeling even more scared than him, he finally looked down to her.  
“What happened when I blacked out?” She replied instead, not wanting to lie by saying she was.  
“You just said something” He shrugged a little. “About Vanessa, the triquetra and the full moon. Well, and…”   
Seeing as he wasn’t finishing the sentence, she pushed him.  
“And what else?”  
“Chandrika”  
“Didn’t I… say something about that the other time I blacked out as well?”   
Stiles looked down to her and nodded, very solemnly. Even if they still had no idea what that was or meant. But hopefully Deaton could enlighten them on the subject. Catori, however, had a hunch that Chandrika was something really bad.  
“Hey” She piped up restlessly. “Can I ask you something, Stiles?”  
“Sure” The boy frowned, sensing a very feeble and vulnerable tone to her. “Ask away, Cat”  
“So apparently I’m some sort of… supernatural creature…”  
“Yeah… We established that”  
“Whatever I am… Would you look at me differently?”  
“What?” He exclaimed with a chuckle. “No! Why would you think that?”  
“I don’t know…”  
“Do I have to remind you that my best friend is a freaking true alpha werewolf?”  
“I know, I know… It’s just…” Catori sighed, feeling silly and hating herself for saying anything to start with. “It’s irrational, it must be just my insecurity”  
“That’s a first” Stiles sarcastically mumbled.  
Catori punched him in the arm in response, making him wince.  
“Cat, I’m driving!” He shouted in a hilarious voice.  
She laughed in spite of herself and cuddled closer to him.  
“Sorry, nerd”   
“Look” He insisted in a soothing tone. “Whatever you are, you are still Catori. The kitty cat with claws that drives me freaking crazy”  
She smiled to herself, knowing that he meant it in a good way.   
“And whatever you are” Stiles kept saying. “We’re gonna figure everything out, together”  
Catori felt better already. She knew that Stiles was special, but she never knew he could always reassure her so easily. That, amongst other things, was what made him special. Because not even Scott, with his calming and kind aura, would have been able to comfort her in the way Stiles did.  
*  
Deaton would not stop staring at her, and it was making her uncomfortable. She understood that he was trying to figure out what she was, but the way he looked at her seemed like he hoped it would miraculously reveal itself to him.  
“You’re definitely some kind of seer” The man spoke at last, taking a step back as well.   
“A banshee?” Scott suggested, glancing at Lydia.  
“Not quite” The veterinarian replied, his eyes still fixed on Catori with curiosity.  
“If everyone could stop staring at me that would be wonderful” She replied, averting her gaze from the rest.   
“Sorry…” Stiles felt responsible for that. “I freaked out and told everyone to come”   
“See? You’re freaking out” Catori piped up at last, daring to look back at them. “You all are, and you’re freaking me out too!”  
“Maybe some of you should wait outside” Deaton looked at Derek. “This might take some time”   
The aforesaid nodded and took a few of them with him. Liam, Kira, Malia, Mason and himself left the room in silence. Catori looked at the remaining three. Scott just smiled at her with such warmness that she didn’t say anything and just glanced at Stiles instead.  
“What?” He replied, offended. “I’m not leaving!”  
“Neither am I” Lydia stated with determination.  
“Fine” The brown-haired girl rolled her eyes, but smiled in the end. “Thanks”  
“Now” Deaton carried on. “Will you tell me some of the things that have been happening to you?”   
Catori nodded and took a moment to think of all the things worth mentioning.  
“I zone out easily sometimes” She shrugged. “But then again, that could be me just being hyper”  
Stiles huffed in amusement and lifted his head proudly, fidgeting around and smirking. But he made a face and stood still when he got a few glares from them.   
“Um… I can…” The girl made a pause, trying to put it into words. “Feel people?”  
“What do you mean by that?”   
“Their auras…”   
“Cool!” He intervened again. “What does mine tell you?”   
“That you’re restless but friendly”  
“You don’t need an aura to know that”  
“What about me?” Lydia grinned, slightly excited.  
“Determined, strong and loyal”  
“And me?”  
“Calm and kind”  
“What else?” Deaton put an end to the side conversation to focus on the subject at hand.   
“Nightmares” Catori frowned when she remembered. “They don’t tell me much, they’re just hazy bits of information”  
“It helped you know the alpha from the other pack was Vanessa, though” The redhead added with a little shrug.  
“And let’s not forget that time you slept walked and Scotty here found you in the middle of the road at night” Stiles crossed his arms restlessly, then looking over at him. “I told you that was weird”   
“That and… the blackouts” Catori said, being more frightened about that than anything else.  
“How many did you have?” Deaton gravely asked her.  
“Two?” She glanced at her friends, who nodded. “At least, that we know off”  
“And what happened during them?”  
“Well, she-“ Stiles began to say, but Deaton interrupted him.  
“I want her to tell me herself”   
“They’re just like my dreams… hazy and surreal” The girl sighed in unease. “I get flashes of images, sensations… But I immediately forget about them, unlike my dreams”   
“Do you still feel something after you recover?” Deaton questioned her like a doctor would, gravely and professionally.  
“I’m just left without any strengths and-“ Before she could keep talking about the physical symptoms, the man interrupted her.  
“Anything else beside the tiredness?”  
“An overwhelming feeling of distress” Catori ignored the looks of concern from her friends. “But by this point I’m used to that…”  
“What do you mean?” Scott asked her, intrigued.  
“I get like… I don’t know… warnings?”  
“Yeah!” Lydia intervened, remembering something. “When Scott got attacked we both knew”  
“And you’re sure she’s not a banshee like Lydia?” Stiles asked Deaton, skeptic since all pointed to it.  
“I know she’s not” The veterinarian defended himself. “But I can’t think of what other type of seer she can be. At least not at the top of my head”   
Catori sighed heavily and tried to hide her shakiness under a sarcastic smirk.  
“Figures” She stood up from the place she had been sitting in and walked outside. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be waiting outside while you talk it out”   
The four of them observed Catori as she walked outside and reunited with the others.   
“Any luck yet?” Derek sensed her presence soon, but waited a few seconds to speak.   
“He has no clue” She shrugged helplessly.  
“Give him time” He nodded gravely, even if his eyes displayed warmness and friendliness. “He’s an expert”   
The girl just pouted as she absently observed the rest of them. They had noticed her right away but preferred to give her some space. After all, they knew how preoccupied she was.   
Truth was, Catori didn’t feel like talking at all. They needed to figure so much out, and they still knew nothing. Not what she was, not what Vanessa was, not what Chandrika meant, not even what was up with that damn triquetra amulet. And she felt like giving up on it all.  
Feeling lost and afraid, she glanced at Derek for guidance. He just frowned worriedly, making her roll her eyes. Being around them would just throw pity and compassion her direction, accompanied by those concerned glances she hated so much. Catori thought she was over it, but not while she was in that mood.  
“Hey, Kit Kat!” Almost like Stiles saw her take a step away from there, he walked out and held her by the wrist. “Stop running away”   
“If you ever call me that again, I’m gonna punch you”   
“Someone’s grumpy…”   
“You don’t have to follow me around like a puppy” She briefly turned to him, sending him a severe look. “I’m fine”  
“It’s the least I can do” Gently, he let go of her and shrugged insecurely. “For being such a jerk to you for no reason, you know?”   
Apparently, the guilt was still bothering him for how they started it all. That made her soften, realizing that none of them were to blame and she had no right to be angry at them.  
“You don’t have to, I’m not mad about that anymore” Even if she tried to sound soft and sweet, her crankiness showed still. “I forgive you”   
Stiles kept quiet for a few more seconds, implying that he hadn’t quite forgiven himself. Probably because of everything that happened, of everything he put her through because of his trust issues.  
“I just want to make sure you’re okay” He honestly told her, with a low and vulnerable tone that surprised her.   
Slightly embarrassed because of his emotional confession, she looked around. Everyone seemed to be too busy on their conversation, even if Catori thought that Derek had heard them judging by the smallest of grins on his lips.  
Her green eyes fell over Stiles again, who was observing her carefully. Waiting to see if she said or did something. She grinned. It felt uplifting to know she had friends who loved her so much, and to know that he especially worried. Catori definitely felt fond of him in a very specific and unique way, even if she wouldn’t allow herself to admit what that implied. But thinking about that gave her strength. Like an adrenaline rush, it lifted her spirits up and gave her courage. Enough to do something crazy.  
“Then do me a favor” Taking him by the hand, she dragged him with her to the back of the building where no one could see them. Stiles followed her in awe, both terrified and excited to see what she was going to do next. He had a feeling that it was going to be something amazing.  
Indeed, she gently pushed him into the wall and smashed her lips on his. Stiles furrowed his brow, first in shock and then passionately as he kissed back. His hands automatically went to her waist, lightly pushing her closer and sneaking his fingers under the fabric of her shirt to feel her skin against his. Her hands were on the back of his head, going up and down his hair as she rejoiced on the kiss and felt a wave of euphoria overcoming her from the inside, along with a pleasant tingle in her stomach as butterflies flew around it. What she didn’t know was that Stiles was feeling the exact same thing.   
After several more seconds of kissing, they broke away for air. They smiled at each other, feeling stupidly happy all of a sudden.  
Stiles’ hair was messy, his cheeks bright red. Catori’s eyes shone with a cheerful spark and the hem of her shirt was crooked up, revealing a bit of skin.  
Catori let out a huge breath, feeling mighty better. That smile was still plastered on her lips as though the kiss made it all better all of a sudden.  
“Wow” She sighed happily, thinking that she was probably blushing and being okay with it.   
“S-Science says… that kissing creates increased levels of oxytocin and endorphins” Stiles gulped, staring at her admiringly. “Guess science’s always right”   
Catori first smirked, but then it turned into a more loving and sweet gesture. She chuckled bashfully, something that amused him deeply as he never thought he would see something so shy and adorable coming from her. Ever.   
“You’re such a nerd” Lowering her glance as she tried not to think of the intoxicating feeling of his lips against her, she recovered her composure. Absently, she fixed her shirt and cleared her throat. Even if that feeling lingered on her and made it hard to stop smiling.   
“What… was that favor?” He hoped that question didn’t sound stupid or that she wasn’t being sarcastic when she said it.   
“Well, that thing we just did was one” She rolled her eyes, mortified by the confession. “But I also wanted you to tell everyone not to freak out”   
“What are you gonna do?” A little distracted by what just happened, he absently scratched the back of his neck and stared at her expectantly.   
Even if in the back of his mind he thought that Scott, Derek and Malia probably knew what was going on, just because his heart had sped up so much that they would think he was about to have a heart attack.  
“I’m gonna go home” She simply said. “Just let everyone know so they don’t freak out”   
“Oh” He nodded, licking his lips and tasting the remnants of her strawberry lip balm. “Okay”   
For the first time in a very long time, probably even before she arrived in Beacon Hills, Catori felt overwrought in the best way possible. She felt tiny and hopeful, and to her own surprise, she liked feeling so thrilled even in a childish way.   
She even playfully winked at him before she left. He was left there, smiling like a fool and waving goodbye at her.  
*  
It was already dark when Catori finished doing a little bit of jujitsu training, so she took a quick shower and put on her pijamas. Then she plopped down on the bed and smiled in content as she absently looked up at the ceiling.  
They were all clueless, still didn’t know anything new. Otherwise Stiles or someone else would have called her to tell her everything about their discoveries. She had been doing a little bit of research herself and found nothing. Yet that didn’t bother her anymore, because every time she was discouraged or hopeless she thought about the pack she belonged into. She knew they all got her back and cared about her just like she did for them.  
But more specifically, she thought about the kiss. About the extraordinary feeling that engulfed her when she kissed Stiles. Not only because thinking back to it almost filled her with it again, but because she didn’t feel as clueless. At that moment, Catori didn’t know much about anything that was going on. But if she was sure about something, it was her feelings for Stiles Stilinski.   
Besides, it helped her not to be so scared about the uncertainty and about what could happen to them. The other pack –and especially Vanessa –was very dangerous. Not to mention her hidden powers and the fact that she was supposed to be a seer or some sort of other supernatural creature like that.   
Catori even though of asking her mother about it. Maybe she knew something about it, or even about some other family members or ancestors that might have had a similar gift. She just didn’t ask because she was terrified. That her mom would think she was crazy, or even worse, than she actually gave her the answers she was too frightened to find out about.   
So she just resigned herself to wait. Hope that Deaton, Derek, Stiles, Scott, Lydia or anyone at all found something. That they could shed some light on the issue at hand.   
Tomorrow would be a new day, and going to high school was dull enough to on top of all focus on the other supernatural concerns.


	21. Fed Up

The only thing that kept Catori awake was Stiles’ never-ending chatter even if Mr. Yukimura was trying to teach some History and had told him off a few times.   
She just zoned out, being too tired to figure out if it was just because she was bored to death or if it had something to do with her alleged seer skills. Only the sound of the bell ringing woke her up from her absent daydream.  
Seeing as she was so feeble, Stiles ventured to hold her around the waist and walked with her to the hall filled with students running up and down. Catori didn’t even look at him as she slipped down the wall until she sat down in the floor, exhausted. The boy sat down with her.  
“You know where Lydia is?” Catori was definitely missing her friend.  
“She can skip a few classes, so she’s doing some research” He replied with a shrug. “Maybe solve one of the mysteries”   
A moment of silence followed until Stiles spoke again.  
“Why the long face, grumpy Cat?” He tried to cheer her up.  
“I’m exhausted” She replied, letting her head fall on his shoulder.  
At least one good thing those days was their relationship. They were very intimate, feeling comfortable with the physical contact even if they weren’t an actual couple per se. But Stiles and Catori enjoyed small samples of fondness like holding hands or cuddling.   
“The life in Beacon Hills is usually exhausting” He softly shrugged since her head was still resting over his shoulder. “But that’s why you have to keep a positive attitude, like me”   
“You’re not positive, Stiles” The girl chuckled, feeling so in need of physical comfort that she reached out to hold his hand. “You’re hyper”  
“Why don’t you stop picking on me and show me a smile?” He moved his hand, which was intertwined with hers, to poke her in the ribs.  
“Stop…” Catori hid her face on his shoulder and slapped him in the stomach.  
“Wow, it’s rare to see the cuddly adorable side of you, kitty” He teased her, still trying to tickle her. “I like it”   
“I’m gonna punch you” She warned him, making him laugh, which also made her smile.  
“Wouldn’t you smile for me, grumpy Cat?” Stiles fondly rubbed her arm.  
“I hate you” She told him, her voice muffled in the fabric of his sweater.  
“What was that?”  
“I hate you!”   
“I don’t know what you said, but it was probably an insult, huh?”   
“Hey, guys” Scott’s voice startled them a little, they looked up to their friend towering over them. “Am I interrupting something?”   
“Yeah, Stiles getting on my nerves” Catori rubbed her eyes and smiled in spite of herself. “So go ahead”   
“Love is in the air” The aforesaid sarcastically said, standing up and holding her by the arm to pull the girl up as well.  
“Derek texted me, he’s outside” Scott carried on, with a small smile plastered on his lips at the sight of the two of them. “He might have some information”  
“Let’s go then” Stiles nodded, proceeding to follow after his best friend. “You coming, Cat?”   
“I think I’m just gonna stay here” Assuming her previous position, she sat on the floor again. “You guys go on”   
“Don’t get in trouble while we’re away” Stiles winked at her playfully.  
“I’ll try!”   
Catori sighed when they were gone. She didn’t feel entirely comfortable letting them know how much the situation affected her. It was enough that they knew she was distraught.   
She knew that, even being weak, it didn’t change their perception of her. Catori had no real reason to be hiding her vulnerability, and she was aware of that fact. But a part of her wouldn’t allow her to give into her feelings completely, she was still too proud.   
“Are you lost and gave up?” A friendly voice told her.  
The girl looked up to see a smiling Liam, accompanied by Kira, Mason and Malia. She sighed in response and shrugged. Mason offered a hand for her to take, helping her on her feet.  
“I’m just looking forward for brighter times, you know?” Catori mumbled, avoiding their stares. “Maybe when a supernatural pack is not planning something evil and we have the information to defend ourselves”   
“You’re in a good mood” Kira nudged her softly before linking her arm with Catori’s.  
“I just wished we figured everything out” The girl felt like she was feeling sorry for herself even if she couldn’t help it.   
“Let’s go outside” Malia mumbled, dedicating her a small smile.  
She knew they were just trying to perk her up, but Catori couldn’t help but to tiredly roll her eyes, not feeling like yet another pack meeting. Derek was supposed to be outside, chatting with Scott and Stiles.  
The moment they stepped outside, someone cleared their throat. Everyone grinned when they saw Stiles standing there with a mischievous smirk plastered on his lips.  
“Mind if I steal her from you?” He asked them, glancing at Catori.  
“All yours” Kira laughed, freeing her arm and gently pushing her towards him. He was coolly leaning against the wall and held her by the waist.  
The four of them left the two standing there and went to meet with Derek and Scott.  
“Were you waiting for me?”   
“I knew you’d end up meeting us”   
“You’re a nerd”   
“Do you have plans for the evening?” Stiles pushed himself off the wall and smirked wider.   
“Yes” Grinning herself, still not resisting the way he made her feel, Catori pushed his hands off her. Knowing she was trying to look all tough and that she actually didn’t mind his attitude nor the physical touch, he chuckled.  
“What do you have to do?”   
“Stuff”  
“What? Staying home and feeling sorry for yourself?”   
“Precisely” Catori smugly raised an eyebrow, starting to walk away.  
The boy took a few seconds to himself, watching her walk away with a goofy grin on his lips. He just admired her, feeling such a rush of fondness and admiration towards Catori.   
“Hey, Cat!” He finally piped up, chasing after her and holding her by the wrist. “What do you say we-?”   
Stiles couldn’t finish his sentence. Suddenly everyone was screaming and running. Something had landed on the top of a car, so hard that it broke the windows and shatters of glass went flying everywhere.   
In a reflex, Stiles threw himself to Catori. He used his own body as a shield, wrapping his arms around her, as he pushed her out of the danger’s way. The both of them fell to the floor, and Catori bumped her head on the ground as they landed. It took a few seconds for them to recover.  
All the students around were still screaming, running away as the commotion dazed Stiles and Catori.   
The boy’s hands held her arms tightly as they sat up, looking around in search for whatever was causing the racket.   
A man stood in the roof of the destroyed car, just then leaping down onto the floor. He had curly brown hair and deep black eyes. Despite his wide shoulders and big built, he was very thin and his face looked as gaunt as his body was.   
When Catori angrily snatched away from Stiles’ reach, he glanced at her in shock. There was a cut on her forehead, blood dripping from it, but she stood up with determination. He opened his mouth to ask her if she was okay, but he closed it again when the girl shouted at the mysterious man.  
“Fuck you!” Catori’s face was red with anger, she was madder than ever.   
Thinking that she had gone crazy, Stiles hurriedly pulled himself up and held her arm, ready to distract the guy while the rest of the pack arrived in order to keep her safe. He had noticed Scott, Derek and everyone watching the scene from the other side of the parking lot. They were on their way to help them.  
“I’m tired of you terrorizing me and my friends!” Catori didn’t even look at Stiles as she swatted him away and charged at the man. “That’s enough, I’m done!”  
“Cat!” For a full five seconds, he was frozen and couldn’t move for the life of him. Even if he wanted to run and help her.  
As she was running towards the man, driven by fury, she kept her fist up with the intention of crushing it against his face. He saw this and showed her his blue werewolf eyes as well as his fangs. But she didn’t care, she swung her fist at him.  
The man took Catori’s arm and used the force and inertia to turn her around and lock her in a tight embrace in which her back was against his chest.   
Seeing she was in actual danger and fighting against a werewolf, Stiles finally was able to snap out of it and run to help her. Just as he was, however, Catori did something astonishing that made him stop dead in his tracks. She doubled over herself sharply and quickly, using her force to throw the man off her and smash him against the ground.   
When he quickly recovered and stood on his feet, Catori hit him again. She kicked his stomach and pushed her elbow against his nose. As he was holding his face in pain, she punched him in the face so hard that he fell to the floor, out cold.  
The girl winced and held her hand tight, but she was beaming as she observed the result of her jujitsu skills.   
With wide eyes and a racing heart, Stiles approached her and looked her up and down.  
“You okay?”   
“Y-Yeah” She replied between ragged breaths, even if she was smiling.   
“That was…” Stiles blinked repeatedly, trying to take in what had just happened. “Wow, that was awesome!”  
“Thanks” Her chest went up and down along with her accelerated heart and breathing patterns. “That was a rush of adrenaline!”  
“How did you do that?!” The boy exclaimed, dumbfounded as he stared at her.   
“I’m fed up” Catori breathed out. “I’m fed up being clueless or defenseless, I decided to take matters into my own hands”   
“That’s my girl” Stiles grinned proudly, placing an arm over her shoulders and affectionately pushing her against him. Catori grinned in appreciation.   
“You guys okay?!” Scott was suddenly there next to them.  
“Yeah” The girl replied with a sigh.  
“Miss Ninja Badass over here kicked his ass, did you see that?!” Stiles stared at his friend Scott, who nodded.  
“We all saw” He replied, making a face as he observed her and gently brushed his finger over the bloody cut on her forehead. “Although you might want to go to the infirmary, Tori”   
“I think I might have broken my hand as well” She groaned in pain as she opened and closed her hand.  
“Let’s get you checked” Scott kindly held her close to him as he walked her back into the building to take her to the infirmary.  
Derek was the only one to stay outside with Stiles, who was too amazed by what had just happened to move.   
It all had happened so fast that he knew it must have been one whole minute or two between the moment in which the car’s windows exploded and the guy was knocked out by Catori.   
She had defeated a werewolf, a man who was considerably taller and stronger than her. Surely all those jujitsu lessons paid off, as well as that rush of adrenaline and blind anger that overcame her. Stiles knew she wouldn’t be able to pull of something like that ever again, but it was impressive nonetheless.  
“Catori is full of surprises, huh?” Derek mumbled, staring at the shocked Stiles in amusement.   
“Sure is” The other boy replied with a silly lopsided grin.   
That was the Catori he knew and loved.  
*  
The gang split up. Some went to check on Lydia and maybe try and help her if she still hadn’t found anything on her research. The others went to talk to Deaton and update him on what had just occurred.  
Derek went to tell this same information to Scott and Catori once they were finished in the infirmary. He had to put up with Stiles trying to get the info out of him even if he had told him he would tell him once the four of them were there.   
When Catori and Scott appeared at the main door again, Derek spoke.  
“Are you alright, Catori?”   
“A bump in the head and a few broken knuckles” She replied, holding up her bandaged hand and using her index finger to point at her forehead. “I’ll be fine”   
“Do you know who that was?” Scott asked Derek gravely.  
“That was Norman” His green eyes fell over the alpha as the four of them proceeded to walk to their cars. “I’m sure of it”   
“At least now we know something” Scott added, responding with a small shrug when all eyes fell on him. “He’s a werewolf”  
“Not a very powerful one, though” Derek intervened, tilting his head slightly to the side. “No offense, Catori, but if he was an alpha or a beta you wouldn’t have been able to defeat him”   
“I know” The girl said, remembering about George and the other encounters with werewolves or supernatural creatures.  
Just that those times it was different. She was different.   
“She kicked ass, though” Stiles grinned at her, almost flirtatiously.  
“I have to admit, you impressed all of us” Derek admitted with a nod.  
Scott smiled, beaming with pride at the thought of Catori being brave enough to face not only Norman, but her own inner struggles and insecurities in the way. He knew the reason she attacked Norman was because he represented all that was wrong with her at the moment and she finally decided to confront them.  
Flattered and a little embarrassed, Catori averted her eyes. A smile appeared on her lips.  
“So…” Scott piped up, voicing his doubts. “Are you saying he’s an omega?”   
Derek pursed his lips gravely, taking a few seconds to answer the question.  
“I’m not completely sure, but maybe”   
“I don’t understand” Stiles frowned. “You once said that the guy was an alpha”   
“I know it doesn’t make sense” The older one nodded. “But he’s like the strongest of the weak, like the alpha of the omega”   
“We’ll look into it” Scott patted Stiles in the shoulder.  
“As we do everything” Catori sarcastically said, making the latter chuckle.  
“You better take her home, Stiles” Derek suggested, looking over to the Jeep as they had arrived next to it. “Scott and I will try and find something about Norman and why he attacked you”   
Catori nodded in agreement and resigned herself to be taken home. Not that she felt like carrying on with the regular high school day anyway.  
Scott and Derek went over to the other car to do some digging while the other two were left there with the Jeep.   
The girl just got in without saying a word, even if she felt different within. She started the day feeling sorry for herself, feeble and empathic. But now she felt energized, she felt powerful and motivated. Maybe it was the remnants of adrenaline pumping through her veins, but it was the first time in a while that she felt… in control.   
Even if they were still clueless about many things, Catori realized that she could fight like she used to do. She could leave all those worries behind, all those fears and concerns about the supernatural and all the crazy stuff that happened in Beacon Hills. Because, even if she hadn’t beaten up Norman, her friends would have. The whole pack was there for her, prepared to intervene and protect her. She belonged into the pack, she was like family. And even Stiles, who was human, same thing went for him. And talking about Stiles…  
As he climbed in the driver’s seat and started the engine, Catori glanced at him and grinned to herself.  
“Don’t think I didn’t realize”   
“About what?”   
“You protected me”   
His cheeks suddenly turned pink, even if his caramel brown eyes lingered on the road ahead.  
“I actually didn’t need to” The boy smirked playfully, briefly looking at her. “You did pretty well on your own, Cat”   
“Don’t play dumb, Stiles” To annoy him, she pinched his cheek obnoxiously, laughing when he complained about it. “You shielded me from all the glass”   
“I did?” He licked his lips nervously, then biting on his bottom lip. “Guess I did it without realizing”  
“It’s the second time you do it” Catori was greatly amused by his reaction.   
It was funny how much their relationship had changed since the first time it happened. How they barely could stand each other back then.  
“Maybe it’s just that I think you look better without any glasses sticking out of you” He joked, dedicating her a shit-eating grin.   
“Is that supposed to be a compliment?”  
He chuckled and relaxed the tension in his shoulders as well as the tight grip on the steering wheel, but didn’t say anything.   
“Thanks” Catori simply said, leaning closer to leave a soft kiss on his cheek.  
*  
When Stiles dropped her off at her place, Catori was feeling restless again. Her newfound determined and fighter attitude hadn’t diminished, but a thought arrived to her on their way back.  
She finally felt strong and brave enough to ask her mom about her alleged seer abilities. With the right approach, it wouldn’t seem like a strange thing to ask. A very subtle, nonchalant and casual approach.   
Yet Catori still felt jittery about it, so much so that she consulted Stiles about it. And he encouraged her, saying that Lydia had more banshees in the family.  
She just went to her mother’s room and stopped at the door for a moment.  
Catori took a deep breath as she nervously pulled at her sleeves until they covered her hands. It would be better to hide her injury as well, and luckily the cut in her forehead could be covered by her hair.   
Resolving to just do it and get it over and done with, she knocked on the door. Lucy told her to come in from inside the room, so she did.  
“I thought you would be sleeping by now, honey” Lucy looked up from the book she was reading, probably something having to do with the museum.  
“I was too restless to sleep” Catori confessed, walking closer and sitting on the edge of the bed with her mom. “And I wanted to ask you something”  
“Sure, go ahead” The woman closed her book and put it aside, giving complete attention to what her daughter was saying. “What is it?”   
“I’ve been having these strange feelings lately” She nervously began to say, gulping hard in anticipation. “Hunches, intuitions and gut feelings”  
“Why is that strange?” Lucy frowned in intrigue and curiosity.  
“Because they’re very…” Catori nibbled on her bottom lip as she did her best to find a way to speak her mind without worrying her mother about supernatural beings and bizarre events. “They’re very precise and intense”   
“Okay…” Her mother nodded, sitting up. “What about those?”   
“I was wondering if this could be hereditary…” The girl averted her eyes in embarrassment and mild humiliation. “Is there more of that in the family?”   
“Not on my side of the family tree, I don’t think” Lucy narrowed her eyes in deep thought. “But there’s your grandmother, your father’s mother”   
Catori rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation.   
It wasn’t like she could go and ask her dad about it, she had barely seen him ever since they moved to Beacon Hills. He basically lived in his work place, and with the adventures the pack went through lately it was even harder to coincide.  
“How was grandma?” She asked, not knowing much about her because, just like her mother’s mom, she died before Catori was born.  
“I knew her, and she was the most intuitive person I’ve known” Lucy smiled a little, being driven to other times by her memories. “All little things, but always accurate”  
“Like what?”   
“Well, amongst other things… she knew I would end up marrying your dad. Knew we would have a daughter… She even knew the exact day when you’d be born!”  
“Wow… really?”  
“Yeah, everyone used to call her ‘sybil’ all the time” The woman chuckled softly. “You know, like the Greek oracles?”   
Catori then had another one of those gut feelings she mentioned earlier. A feeling of realization, and overwhelming sensation that told her that word was important. Almost like it was part of her identity.  
“Something wrong, Catori?” Lucy noticed this shift in her demeanor and got worried.  
“No” The girl rushed to say, forcing a reassuring smile. “I mean… that’s just mythology, right?”   
“Of course, honey”   
Catori felt a lump forming in her throat, her head light and fuzzy. But she did her best to keep smiling and pretend like that name which meant nothing for her mom didn’t mean anything for her either.  
“Is that all then?” Lucy asked her, to which she nodded again.  
She felt speechless, unable to talk because her voice felt weak and shaky. Catori slowly stood to her feet and proceeded to walk to the door.  
“Goodnight” Her mother told her sweetly. “And sweet dreams”   
The girl looked over her shoulder and smiled one last time, waving her hand goodbye as she went over to the exit.  
As soon as the door closed behind her, Catori let out a deep breath that she had been holding. Then she walked to her bedroom in a daze, her head filled with so many confusing thoughts.


	22. Answers

The next day, luckily, was a Saturday. Catori could afford to sleep in –for the first time in a while, with no nightmares at all –and calm down. Even if the events of the previous day haunted her, reminding her that all those things were happening even if she wanted to ignore them.  
Yet she was surprised to realize everything felt empty without all those worries in her mind. If it wasn’t doing anything related to the supernatural and looking for answers –which she did now want to do -, Catori found herself not knowing what to do.  
She could always practice jujitsu. Even if yesterday she proved that she wasn’t rusty at all. And she could also do her homework or study. And actually, that seemed like the better option. Otherwise she would end up failing her classes and that seemed like yet another nightmare.   
At least she had the incredibly smart Lydia Martin as her friend. The redhead could always provide her with great notes as well as support and maybe some studying meetings.  
Forcing herself to win over laziness and get some work done, Catori sat on her desk and cracked her knuckles, preparing for a hardcore study session that would catch her up with the subjects. She had notes from Stiles, Scott and Lydia from those days she had been absent from class. Just putting a little order in them would be enough to study normally.  
Determined and almost motivated, Catori opened her notebook and began reading the first notes. Stiles’ quick and messy handwriting from History.  
She clicked her tongue in irritation when her phone rang just at that moment. But she snorted in amusement when she picked up and read it was precisely him calling.  
“I’m studying” Was the first thing that Catori told him.  
“And I’m bored” He replied with a childish voice. Catori laughed when she pictured him lying down on his bed, fidgeting around restlessly and having a small tantrum.  
“I really need to study, Stiles” The girl opened her book while she talked to her friend. “It’s my first day off in weeks and I should catch up”  
“Why don’t you come over?” He suggested casually. “I’ll help you study”   
“You nerd…” She chuckled, smiling widely. “We wouldn’t study and you know it”   
Very awkwardly and bashfully, the boy cleared his throat in the other end of the phone. None of them talked for a good ten seconds, and the silence would have lingered if Stiles hadn’t broken it.  
“But I want to hang out with you!” He whined, keeping the childish attitude. “Come over to my place!”  
“Am I hearing correctly?” Catori felt the urge to mock him a little. “You want to be with me? Are you actually missing me?”  
“Now not so much”   
“But you miss me”  
“Yeah, I do” Stiles sighed and made a dramatic pause. “And so do you, grumpy Cat”   
Even if he couldn’t see her expression through the phone, Catori pursed her lips together not to smile.  
“If you let me study, I’ll be there in a few hours” The girl gave in, feeling excited at the thought of spending more time with him.  
“Awesome!” He exclaimed, satisfied now. “See you then”  
“Bye, silly”  
*  
Catori just managed to put some order over the varied notes from her friends and read them a little before her need to be with Stiles was too great to repress. The girl couldn’t stop thinking about him and about the fact that he was waiting for her, making it impossible to focus on studying.  
At least she had an idea of what they were studying on each subject before she left the house, which was enough for her. She could always do some extremely serious studying when exams came.   
At that moment, she couldn’t wait to meet Stiles. Even if she wondered when that happened. When she missed him whenever they spent too many hours without seeing each other. Especially since he felt the same way.  
It felt extremely odd to have those feelings. To have butterflies in her stomach as she made her way over to the Stilinski house. Feeling jittery at the thought of meeting that nerd again. Yet Catori embraced it all.  
She knocked on the main door when she arrived and waited for a few seconds until the Sheriff received her.   
“Catori” He offered her a friendly smile. “Come on in”  
“Thank you” She politely told him, feeling slightly inhibited.  
“Stiles is upstairs, he’s waiting for you”   
Catori grinned at him in appreciation and started going up the stairs. As she did, she noticed that grin started turning into a happy and excited one.  
She stood in front of the door and smiled to herself, looking down as she allowed herself to be overwhelmed by that feeling that could only mean one thing. Love for Stiles.  
Clearing her throat and forcing herself to display a deadpan expression, the girl lifted her arm to knock on the door. Barely a second later, a fidgety Stiles opened it and showed her a heartfelt and delighted smile.  
“Hi, Cat!” He greeted her cheerfully, accompanying his smile with a quick but casual peck on the lips. “Come in”   
“Um… okay” Amused by such sudden gesture, she walked into his room and plopped down on the bed while trying her best to not smile.  
He was facing his back to her, but stopped in the middle of the movement. His shoulders tensed up noticeably.  
“Did I just…?” Realizing he had just kissed her, the boy immediately turned to her and squinted restlessly.   
“Yup” Catori smirked, raising an eyebrow. “Guess that answers some of my questions about us”   
“I’m sorry if…”   
“Calm down, stupid”   
The both of them just stood there in silence, seizing the other and their reaction. Until Catori chuckled and he mimicked her in relief.  
“Look” He piped up to break the ice after the mildly awkward moment.   
The boy turned slightly, motioning over to the whiteboard on his left. It was filled with photos and threads of different colors as well as his own messy handwriting.   
“What’s that?” She got comfortable on the bed, lying down on her stomach.  
“Basically, all that happened here since you got to Beacon Hills” Stiles sent her a meaningful glance that had playful implications.   
“I’m sorry, are you blaming me for it all?” It was refreshing to have that conversation without the prior amount of hate and saltiness.   
The boy gave her a lopsided grin and opened his mouth, just to close it after a few seconds.  
“I was about to say something really corny and silly” He winked and shrugged. “So I’ll shut my mouth”  
“Yeah” Catori nodded vehemently. “You better avoid being romantic, Stiles”  
He licked his lips to conceal a smile and pretended not to hear her, carrying on with the board.   
“I got bored and lonely, so I called you” Stiles plopped down next to her, sitting so close their sides touched. “I couldn’t figure out anything new”   
“Really? The genius can’t figure it out, huh?” To annoy him, she poked his cheek repeatedly.   
“Yep” He replied nonchalantly, holding her hand with the excuse that she was being obnoxious. “Not what Vanessa’s pack is or what creatures they are, not what they want with the triquetra… nothing”  
Stiles sighed in defeat as his eyes lingered on the chaotic board. Even if his hand still held Catori and his thumb brushed against her skin delicately.  
Those words reminded her of certain findings related to her sybil nature. And suddenly, it was extremely hard to breathe. Catori couldn’t help but to stare into the distance as she got absent in her own mind. Thinking how scared she was of what being a sybil implied, how overwhelming it was to think that she needed to tell everyone and how surreal it felt to realize she was actually a supernatural creature.  
She jumped up startled when something gently touched her cheek, tying her back to the real world. To Stiles’ room. He had kissed her in the cheek unexpectedly, making her jolt up in surprise and nearly giving her a mini heart attack.  
“Okay, spit it out” Stiles licked his lips, fidgeting around as he crossed his arms over his chest in stern determination.   
“Spit what out?”   
“I know that look”  
“What look? What are you talking about?”   
“That look on your face means that something’s worrying you, that you’re scared about something” He spoke seriously, his eyes filled with unease. “And no bullshit, I know what I’m talking about”   
“It’s nothing” Catori rolled her eyes, managing a convincing smirk. “Just trying to figure your stupid board out since you can’t do it yourself”   
Somehow, she knew he wouldn’t be bothered at all to know she was a sybil. Probably no one in the pack would be but… why was it hard to say it then? Why was impossible to Catori to say it out loud? Would that make it real and hence scarier?   
Fearing he was onto her and her lies, she looked over at him with the corner of her eye. He was frowning in deep thought, his caramel brown eyes focused on her. That wasn’t good.  
“Look” Catori said confidently, turning her body to face him. “I came all the way here and-“  
“Okay” He interrupted her, in a tone that meant to show he wasn’t going to push her.   
Stiles knew something was wrong with her, yet he knew better than to pressure her into confessing whatever it was. Besides, after all they had been through, he knew she trusted him. The boy was positive that she would tell him if it was truly important. Eventually.   
For now, he just pretended nothing happened. He played dumb and acted like she had convinced him.  
“So if neither of us can’t figure out the board” Instead, Stiles decided to take another approach. “Maybe we should do something else to pass the time”   
Catori noticed everything that was going through his head. And she appreciated his effort to leave it all behind and respect her wish to ignore her restlessness. So she obliged and forced herself to forget about it as well.  
“Wow” She arched her eyebrows in amazement. “Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?”  
As all response, he showed a goofy grin.  
“I could use a reward” Catori cheekily kissed him right on the lips. “After all, I had to make the great sacrifice of quitting my studying to come here”   
Stiles reciprocated by moving his lips in sync, holding his hands on her hips and pulling her closer.  
“What a great sacrifice…” He joked, breaking away just long enough to speak and then carrying on with the kissing. Catori smiled and muffled a chuckle on his mouth, dropping her arms over his shoulders and gently squeezing him closer as well.   
But then Stiles stopped moving completely, he broke away and froze.   
“Sacrifice…” The boy whispered in realization.   
Completely forgetting about Catori’s presence, he stood up again and got closer to the board. He picked up his marker and absently took the cap off as he stared at the photos.  
“Stiles?” She worried, observing him nervously. “What’s wrong?”   
“They were sacrifices…” He breathed out lowly, carelessly scribbling the word ‘sacrifice’ and drawing arrows all over.  
“What?”   
“What if they were sacrifices?”   
An ominous silence fell over them, taking over the room. Stiles fidgeted around restlessly as Catori sat there in awe.   
“The… the girls that Vanessa kidnapped and then killed” The boy kept on explaining, struggling to speak because of the implications. “What if they were sacrifices?”  
“For what?” Catori held a hand over her stomach, suddenly feeling a little sick.   
“I don’t know” He admitted, turning back to the board. “But it wouldn’t be the first time”   
Feeling slightly scared and spooked, Catori let her eyes wander around the room. Even if they ended up falling over Vanessa’s picture on the board.   
Then, a gasp escaped from her throat as a chill overcame her spine.  
“Cat?” Noticing this, Stiles immediately sat next to her and passed an arm over her shoulders. “You okay?”   
“Selkie” She uttered in a shaky sigh, glancing at him. “W-What the hell is a selkie?”  
“I… I don’t know” He mumbled as he played around with the marker on his hand. “What are you talking about?”   
“That word just popped in my head, ‘selkie’… I-I don’t know why”   
Seeing how distraught Catori was, he decided to be cautious and reassuring. Stiles rubbed her back in soothing circles, speaking in a low voice, with a gentle and sweet tone.   
“Maybe it was that super clairvoyant Catori thing?”   
Her eyes grew wide as she nodded in shock, slow and absent. Somehow Stiles felt like whatever was bothering her, it had to do with her seer nature.  
“Maybe…” Catori confirmed after a few more seconds, finally locking eyes with him.  
“Something might have triggered it. With Lydia it happens like that” He stirred in the spot as he licked his lips nervously. “What were you thinking about exactly?”  
“I...” Her eyes wouldn’t leave him as he stood up from the bed just to sit down on the chair and start typing on the laptop. “I was looking at Vanessa’s photo”   
Stiles nodded in understanding as he focused his attention on the screen. He navigated through the internet in silence for a moment before he heaved a sigh and turned to Catori.  
“Selkies are marine creatures” Stiles said in a matter-of-fact way. She didn’t reply nor moved, just gulped in unease.  
They might finally know what supernatural creature Vanessa was. Which could help know not only how to protect themselves from her. But also how to hurt her.  
*  
Pack meetings were getting old, especially since it felt like peril was imminent. Like getting the answers they wanted wasn’t so good because it brought them closer to the truth, and hence to the danger.  
Like everything was coming to an end.  
So Catori was overcome by an ominous feeling that wouldn’t leave her. That, plus the sybil issue was enough to keep a grim outlook. On top of all, everyone was taking their time to come since Stiles insisted that they’d meet outside his place since Catori and himself were already there.  
The two of them were waiting outside, sitting on the curb of the pavement. The last sunbeams shone over them before the dawn arrived.  
“Relax, Cat” He cheerfully passed an arm over her shoulders and effusively shook her. “It’s not like we’re in the middle of a crisis or anything”   
“Not helping, Stiles”  
“Sorry…”  
“I mean, I’m a-“ Before she could say the word, Catori grunted and kept rambling in annoyance. “I’m some sort of clairvoyant that just found out all those girls taken in my place ended up dying to serve as human sacrifices”   
“You’re freaking out” Stiles stated, not admitting any doubts.  
“Yes I’m freaking out!” She gave in, throwing her arms in the air in exasperation. “So?”  
“Nothing, it’s a perfectly normal reaction to something like this, you know?”  
Catori sighed and took shelter in Stiles, tiredly hiding her face on his shoulder and closing her eyes in content and relief when his arms fell around her.  
“It’ll be okay, Cat” He rubbed his hands over her back reassuringly. “We’re one step closer to solving everything”   
“I know, that’s what I’m afraid of…” She nodded as her own arms wrapped around him. “It’s just that, when it feels like everything’s better it all goes to crap again”   
“Welcome to our world” Stiles said in a fake cheerful tone.   
“You’re a good comforter” Catori told him, looking up at him. “Kinda”  
“You sound surprised” He smirked, leaning closer to leave a tender kiss on her forehead. “I’m offended”   
The girl managed to smile a little because of him, she just wanted to hide it by shoving her face on his shoulder again. Stiles laughed at this rare cute gesture of hers and played with her hair tenderly.  
“You guys are adorable” Scott’s voice startled them as he towered over them.  
Catori was too embarrassed by it, so she just pushed Stiles away and took a sudden interest in the floor as she placed her hair to the side.  
“Hey, Scott!” The latter greeted him with a passive aggressive voice. “Great timing, dude!”   
The girl cautiously looked up, just in time to see a wide grin appear on her friend’s lips. It lingered as he calmly sat by her side in a silent yet amused way.  
“Derek’s on his way” Scott mumbled after a while. “He shouldn’t take long”  
Catori finally looked directly at him and saw a friendly expression on his face, as usual. So she showed him a sweet grin in return. Then he turned his head as though he heard something. But since neither Stiles nor her noticed anything, it was probably Scott’s werewolf hearing.  
“Where’s everyone else?” Derek showed up, which had to be what caught their friend’s attention.  
“On their way” Stiles stood up and brushed himself off.  
Scott shrugged and jumped to his feet as well, to which Catori used their shoulders as anchors to do the same.   
Just then, she spotted Kira, Liam and Malia in the distance. They saw the four of them too and walked over to them.  
“Where’s Lydia?” Scott noticed her absence and voiced his question.  
“She’s late” Derek replied in a monotone voice, shrugging even if he looked over his shoulder for her.  
Catori’s phone vibrated at the exact moment the other three arrived to them and began quickly greeting each other and commenting about the subject at hand.  
“Lydia’s gonna take a bit longer” She read the text message out lout for everyone to hear. “She was held up with something and wants us to start without her”  
“Okay” Derek crossed his arms gravely and started talking. “What was that about something called a selkie?”  
*  
When they heard Lydia running in their direction, they had already stated the crucial points of the meeting. The fact that they thought Vanessa was a selkie and it could finally mean the first step towards her defeat. Also, the discussion of the implication of Stiles’ discovery about the human sacrifices.  
“Sorry I’m late!” Lydia panted as she combed her red hair with her hands and exhaled heavily once she was right next to them.  
“You’re never late…” Stiles observed, taken aback by the sight of a hurried and out of breath Lydia. “So what happened?”  
“I was doing a little bit of research” The redhead grinned and stared at Catori in a way that she didn’t like. “And I found something”  
“That’s great!” Stiles exclaimed excitedly, so loud that his voice echoed in the street.   
“What did you find?” Scott encouraged her, smiling a little at Stiles’ enthusiastic response.  
“A specific kind of seer” As those words escaped Lydia’s mouth, all eyes fell on Catori. The girl was gulping in fear and anticipation. “Prophetic dreams, senses and premonitions. Intuitions induced by auras and touch”  
“And blackouts?” Stiles turned serious immediately. “Overwhelming feelings of danger?”  
By that point Catori was clenching her fists so hard that her nails painfully sank on her palms. Her eyes turned watery in helplessness and unease even if they were directed towards the ground.  
“So what is she?” Kira piped up, intrigued and agitated. “What’s Catori?”   
The aforesaid winced at the question. It felt like she was some kind of monster, like being something supernatural rid her from her human nature.   
“Catori’s a…” Lydia was beaming as she spoke, proud and happy that she was helping and that she managed to figure it out.  
“Sybil” The girl finished for her, causing an eerie silence to settle amongst her friends.  
“What?!” Stiles’ voice echoed around the streets again. The boy fidgeted around, making strange noises of confusion as he shook his head in disbelief.  
“You knew, Tori?” Scott kindly lay a hand on her arm, but she shrunk away from his touch.  
“How long have you known for?” Liam asked her, frowning sadly.  
“Not long, just for around a day” Finding it impossible to look directly at them, Catori kept her eyes on the ground as she compulsively bit on her fingernails.  
“Why didn’t you tell us?!” Stiles yelled in outrage. “Any of us?!”  
“I don’t know!” She finally looked up at him. Only at him. “I guess I needed to accept myself before I told you guys…”   
Stiles noticed her glassy eyes and the fact that she nervously bit on her nails. He knew her better than any of those present and was aware of the fact that she felt inhibited and vulnerable. Two things that she probably hated to be feeling and felt ashamed about. Again, it was more of an internal struggle than a fearful reaction about their opinions on it. She subtly hinted it herself with those last words.  
Derek was the first to break the silence, as he realized how awkward the scene was. Especially for Catori.  
“Of course, a sybil” The young man nodded to himself. “I heard about them, it makes perfect sense”  
“What…” Lydia cleared her throat, feeling extremely guilty about the situation she put her friend in. “What did you guys meet about?”  
“The selkie” Malia rushed to tell her, hoping it would help to change the subject. “Vanessa is probably a selkie”  
“It’s a marine creature” Scott supported her words. “We don’t know much about it yet, but we’re looking into it”  
Catori still held her head low, but the tiniest of smiles crept upon her mouth. She appreciated the effort everyone was making so she wouldn’t feel so mortified and overwhelmed, how they tried to change the subject for her sake.  
To show how grateful she was for this, the girl softly leaned her head on Scott’s shoulder. That boy who rescued a lost sleep-walking Catori and first spoke to her back when she had just arrived in the city and knew no one. Her closest friend in the pack.   
Then, she cautiously and subtly brushed her fingers against Stiles’. He noticed, but thought she did it on accident and preferred not to do anything just in case it made her uncomfortable. But Catori gingerly pulled at his fingers to keep his hand closer to her. Until they worked together in a mutual effort to intertwine their fingers.  
The girl smiled a little with the always soothing touch of the boy who had become some kind of unofficial boyfriend for her. That special someone who always made it all easier and better in a magical and unexpected way. Even then.  
*  
Vanessa tapped her long fingernails against the surface of the table, bored and uninterested.   
“Please” Norman was begging her again. “If you finally let me in your pack, I’d stop being an omega”   
“You’re the alpha of your own pack” Vanessa mocked him with a cruel smirk.  
“But we’re a pack of omegas and…”  
“I allow you to follow after me like a despicable lost puppy because you’re still useful” The woman glanced at him with her deep and frightening dark eyes. “But you have to prove yourself worthy of belonging into my pack”   
“I tried!” The man insisted, not minding that she thought he was pathetic. “I went after the girl and-!”  
“That girl was stronger than you” Vanessa didn’t let him finish, making her voice sound loud and threatening. “How is that worthy?”  
“Vanessa, I-“  
“Should I remind you what I did to the last one that failed me?”  
“George?” Norman gulped in fear, shaking his head at the memory of the poor dead boy. “It’s not necessary, I remember”  
“Then don’t forget it” The woman emphasized each word through clenched teeth.  
“What should I do next?” He dared to ask, eyeing her carefully.  
“You’ve done more than enough” She replied sarcastically, looking at him with the corner of her eye in contempt. “I will handle the rest, for now”  
“What’s the plan?”  
“We have the triquetra” Vanessa grinned evilly, satisfied with how everything was working out despite everyone’s stupid mistakes. “So…”  
“S-sorry, the what?” The man stuttered, being afraid to even ask.  
“Chandrika’s symbol, you moron!” Her head angrily turned to him, making her long mane of blueish hair to fly around with it.  
“Oh, right…” Norman bowed his head down like a kicked dog.  
“With the triquetra and the sacrifices all we need now is a volunteer” The woman eyed him up and down with a shady and enigmatic smirk. “And the full moon”


	23. Moon

Stiles yawned big like a lion. Catori saw this and threw a cushion at his face.   
“Hey!” The boy complained, since he was so sleepy it startled him.  
“You’re supposed to be helping me, not taking a nap in my bed!” His friend told him off, looking at him over her shoulder.  
“But I’m lazy” Stiles complained in a childish voice, making her roll her eyes.  
“Then what’s the point of coming here in the first place?”  
“To be embarrassed by your mother calling me your boyfriend?” He was grinning widely as he reluctantly stood up and leaned his hand on the back of the chair Catori was sitting in.  
“No” She chuckled in spite of herself. “To be helping me with the notebook”   
“Fine” Still lazily, Stiles sulkily took the notebook from the desk and opened it. He then began to bounce the pen on the paper as he also tapped his foot on the ground. He was trying to think what to write down and how to write it.   
“Stand still” Catori told him off, being annoyed by his usual fidgety demeanor.  
“Should I start with sybil?” He asked, ignoring her words completely.  
“I guess” The girl sighed, still overwhelmed. “I have to wrap my head around it sooner or later”   
“You know there’s nothing wrong with being supernatural, right?” Stiles immediately went to comfort her. “I mean, all your friends are”   
“Except for you, ironically” Again, she shielded herself in the sarcasm and concealed her restlessness by diverting the attention from her and changing the subject.  
“Yet I’m the smartest of all” He bit the pen and wiggled his eyebrows playfully.  
Catori didn’t even look at him, just raised her eyebrows with mocking agreement. But her green eyes were focused on the screen as her eyes darted around the keyboard.  
“What are you doing anyway, Cat?” He looked over her shoulder for a moment as he scribbled the word ‘Sybil’ on the notebook.  
“Looking up selkies”   
“Anything interesting?”   
“This is” Catori nodded, pointing to the screen as she read that part out loud. “Selkies are similar creatures to seals. They can turn into humans by taking off their fur, which is vital to them. If someone were to own their fur, they would own the selkie itself”  
“Awesome!” He leaned his elbow on her shoulder while he read the information himself. “They’re like wereseals!”   
“I guess…” Catori mumbled absently.  
She felt lucky that at least she lingered on her human form. Even if that didn’t help rid her from the pressure of being a supernatural creature. And the weirdness of it.  
Stiles didn’t move from the spot, as he was still reading the information Catori had found about selkies. He hadn’t noticed the shift in her facial expression. He just went back to the notebook and began to write down all the things he knew about sybils and selkies.   
_**Sybil.** Seer. Prophetic black outs. Warning nightmares. Can perceive auras and danger.   
**Selkie.** Marine creature, seal. Can create storms. They use their fur to shift. Owner of the fur owns the selkie. _  
He nibbled on the pen, trying to think of something else to write. But nothing more came to mind, so Stiles glanced over to Catori. The boy turned her around in the chair so she was facing him and raised his eyebrows questioningly.   
“What?”   
“You have that face again”  
“What face? This is my natural expression”  
“No” Stiles smirked mischievously. “Your natural expression is the grumpy menacing one, this is an expression of dread”  
“What do you mean?” Catori still played dumb, averting her gaze from him.  
His caramel brown eyes were flustering her, especially since they observed her with such fondness and concern.  
“That’s your ‘omg, I’m a freaking sybil’ face”   
The girl reluctantly settled her green eyes on him, smiling a little in spite of herself when she saw that smirk still in his lips. This time it was more self-satisfied than before because he knew he was right.  
Catori sighed and remained quiet for a moment.   
She found it very heartwarming to see how much he worried about her. How Stiles was always looking after her and he had done so much for her already. In his odd, twisted and cunning way.  
How he comforted her and protected her when they found her and brought her back from Vanessa’s hideout. How he tired her on purpose so she would get some very needed sleep when she was afraid of getting nightmares from that scarring experience. How he always tried to soothe her anxiety about anything.  
For the first time, it was easier for her to show weakness. To speak her mind without worrying about upsetting him. Not being afraid of Stiles judging her because she was afraid or uncomfortable with her current situation. Besides, after all he was doing for her, Catori owed him at least that. Not that she would tell him if she didn’t want to. If she didn’t feel like it or trust him to share her burden with him.  
“I’m scared of what being a sybil can imply” The girl finally confessed, taking a deep breath when the pressure in her chest was slightly relieved.   
“What do you mean?” Stiles frowned a little, but listened intently.  
“What if I attract them again? What if it makes me a target and I get everyone in danger?” Catori nibbled on her bottom lip in apprehension. “Or what if I’m dangerous? I have no idea what else I can do! Or… or…”   
“Whoa” Stiles kneeled on the ground to be at eye level with her and placed his hands on her upper arms to calm her, seeing as her rambling was so uneasy. “Easy there, nothing’s gonna happen, okay?”   
“You don’t know that, Stiles!” Catori shook her head, feeling herself shaky and cold. “What if something terrible happens because I’m a sybil?”  
“It’s not” He assured sternly, shaking her gently to get a reaction from her. “And even if it were, all of us would be here to stop it”   
She didn’t reply, just frowned and shielded herself in silence.  
“Okay, that’s enough” Stiles took her by the hand and pulled her up to her feet along with himself. “C’mon, Cat”  
“What are you doing?” The girl uttered in surprise as he took her with him.  
“Dragging you away from all this crap” He held her hand tight in his, yet gently and lovingly.  
For a moment she resigned herself to follow him, feeling numb and detached. Yet when he squeezed her hand, she looked up at him instead of at the ground. There he was, doing it again.  
She never had someone who cared so deeply about her, other than her family, of course. That was enough to cheer her up.  
“Who said you can hold my hand, nerd?” Catori angrily told him, causing the boy to stop dead on his tracks.  
Moving cautiously slow, thinking he had messed up, Stiles turned to face her. Indeed, Catori’s face was grave and serious. So he made an apology face until she broke and grinned.  
“Ha, ha” He humorlessly laughed, rolling his eyes when he noticed she was teasing him. “Very funny”   
“It was” The girl smirked proudly, actually walking beside him instead of letting him drag her. However, she never let go of his hand.  
“Hopefully you’ll feel okay with being a sybil soon” Stiles changed the subject smoothly. “But until then I’m gonna make you forget about it all”   
“If you think you kissing me has that kind of effect on me, Stilinski…” Catori stared at him, smugly. “You’re very mistaken”   
“Stop bullying me, Cat!” He complained, outraged, gladly humoring her.  
She just smiled at him sweetly, leaving a tender kiss on his cheek.   
However, the girl was very curious to see what he had in mind to help her forget all her worries.  
*  
Who knew lying down doing nothing could be so pleasant. Especially cuddling with Stiles. Never in a million years would Catori have dreamt that being cheesy and all touchy with him would bring her such joy. Overall with someone she used to hate and who used to hate her.  
Yet at that moment, even if her mind kept drifting back to more serious and less trivial matters, everything felt alright. Her body and mind were completely relaxed. She felt calm, tranquil, peaceful, at ease.  
Especially since they had been talking for a while before. And sharing all her insecurities and thoughts with Stiles helped her feel much better. Had she known it would be so easy, she might have done it sooner.  
Catori glanced up to Stiles and grinned when she saw he had closed his eyes in content. The sunlight fell over his face, lighting it up, and he seemed to be enjoying it judging by the delighted grin on his lips.  
She rested her head back on his chest and felt his arm moving even closer to her, also shoving her torso closer to his. The girl comfortably leaned her arm on his clavicle and sighed happily.  
“This is great” Stiles finally piped up, even though Catori suspected he had fallen asleep. She had seen him taking naps in unexpected places, after all.  
“Don’t get used to it” She replied, smiling mischievously even if he couldn’t see her.  
“Wouldn’t dream of it” His grin was audible in his voice as he gently squeezed her side to tickle her. Catori slapped him in the shoulder lazily, not bothering to move much.  
“Hey, you can see the moon!” She noticed when she looked up to the sky.  
“Where?” Stiles opened his eyes and squinted at the sky.  
“There!” The girl pointed it for him, until he finally spotted it.  
“Oh, yeah…”  
“The moon…”   
Catori sat up slowly, knowing that feeling within her which suddenly overcome her. It definitely was sybil related.  
“Cat?” Stiles leaned on his elbows as he slightly sat up as well, observing her.  
“The moon!” Catori jumped to her feet, feeling jittery and restless.  
“Yes, that’s the moon” He slowly stood up as he glanced at her in confusion. “What about it?”   
“I remember the full moon!”  
“Catori, what the hell are you talking about?!”  
“I remember having a… sybil thingy… a whatever you want to call it… about the full moon!”  
“A sybil thingy? You mean, as in whatever you see when you black out?”  
“Yes!”  
“You did say something about the full moon once” Stiles remembered, recalling the exact moment in which she said it. “We just thought it was nonsense”   
“It wasn’t” Catori rummaged through her mind, trying to gather any possible details. “It… It has something to do with Vanessa, I can sense it”   
“It does? How does it relate to her?”  
“I don’t know, but it’s important! It might help us know Vanessa’s plan!”  
“Wh-“ Before he could complain or ask anything else, she had taken his hand and pulled at it.  
“We need to go!”   
“Where?”  
“Another pack meeting”  
“I have a feeling it might be the last one”


	24. Super Catori

The meet up point was Deaton’s clinic. The first one to arrive at the pack meeting was Lydia. The only ones who were already there were Stiles and Catori. The redhead waved at her friends as she walked their way.  
“Oh” She mumbled in surprise. “You are together”  
Stiles smirked and smugly placed an arm over Catori’s shoulders.  
“Yes, we are…” He nibbled on his bottom lip. “Kinda”  
Catori bashfully lowered her glance in a sulky silence. A faint rose blush arrived to her cheeks, which she was aware of and wanted to conceal by averting her eyes.  
She wanted to speak up and clarify it, but felt too mortified to. At first, Lydia didn’t say anything, she just eyed Catori in amusement. Her friend could feel her eyes on her but didn’t move.  
“I meant you were hanging out before and came here together” Lydia stated, pursing her lips in amusement to hide her grin.  
“Oh” Stiles blushed as well, feeling stupid and embarrassed.  
The redhead grinned in the end, being too entertained to hide it anymore.  
“Sorry we’re late” Scott then appeared along with Derek.   
The two of them had grave expressions on their faces. The werewolves could probably catch the scent of anxiety that emanated from both Stiles and Catori.  
“Where are Malia, Liam, Kira and Mason?” Asked Lydia, who couldn’t really catch the subtle apprehensiveness her friends displayed like them.  
“On their way” Scott nodded, eyeing the couple. “They should be here any minute”   
“Can we start while they do?” Catori was very fidgety and restless. “We’ll catch them up later”  
“I’m sure if we wait just a little bit-“ Lydia began to say, but her friend interrupted her hurriedly.  
“Please!”  
Derek and Scott frowned, but the latter nodded again and motioned for them to come in.  
“What’s the problem?” Derek asked as they all walked into the clinic.  
“I have a feeling that Vanessa is planning something huge” Catori briefly explained, absently leaning on a table.  
“Yes” Stiles agreed shortly. “Something really really bad”  
“Is that a hunch or a sybil premonition?”   
“Definitely a sybil feeling” The girl didn’t like using the word ‘premonition’ since she didn’t really foresee anything, it was some kind of intuition provoked by her sybil nature.  
Watching how unsettled she was, Stiles placed a comforting arm over her shoulders. She relaxed a little and heaved a sigh as she relieved some tension.   
“I’m fine” Catori bit her lip, sneakily putting her shaky hands in her pockets. “It’s just freaking me out”  
“A bad feeling?” The redhead, knowing that feeling, knew what was going on. The brown-haired girl nodded, keeping her eyes down in embarrassment.   
However, she gulped and proudly looked up again. She remember that feeling that went through her as she battled Norman. That power and that determination, and how she was fed up of being resigned and scared. She wanted to focus on that.  
Just then, Deaton appeared when he had heard their voices. The man appeared, walking loudly to announce his presence, and observed the group.  
“What do we know about this woman?” The doctor asked as he rested his weight on his hands, which he put on the metallic operation table in front of him.  
“Not much” Derek mumbled with a tired sigh.  
“We need to find out what she’s up to” Catori stated with determination.  
“Whatever it is, she doesn’t want us to blow it” Stiles licked his lips restlessly. “And I have really bad memories that prove it”   
Just then, the rest of the gang burst inside in a rush.   
“You’re late” Derek deadpanned, pursing his lips in disapproval.   
“Sorry!” Liam mumbled awkwardly. “We got caught up”  
He looked at his best friend, who put an apologetic face and grinned innocently.  
“My fault”  
“What’s new?” Malia asked, walking into the room and positioning herself next to Stiles.  
“Long story short…” The boy replied. “We’re trying to figure out what Vanessa’s plan is”  
“Catori seems to have this feeling…” Scott tried to explain, but didn’t finish the sentence since he didn’t know how to.  
“So what were you talking about just now?” Kira intervened, fixing her eyes on her boyfriend.  
“That time she almost killed Scott” Lydia said with fake joy, pursing her lips in a sarcastic grin.  
“Yeah, and that other time I was almost cut to pieces” Stiles nodded, squinting at the memory. “Good times”  
“You’re welcome” Catori whispered to him, gently nudging him.  
“They underestimated us” Scott commented. “I don’t think Vanessa was expecting us to save Catori either”   
“But that doesn’t tell us anything” Malia was frustrated. “How are we going to know what her plan is?”  
“I thought maybe I could… you know… put something together” Catori bit her bottom lip, insecure.  
“From your sybil black outs?”  
“Yeah, I know I was in some sort of trance that gave me information”  
“So if we get that information, we should learn about her plan”  
“The only problem is I need to remember, and I only remember-“  
“Oh God…” Stiles suddenly gasped, wobbling weakly until he managed to hold on to the wall next to him.  
“Stiles?!”  
“Are you okay?”  
“What’s wrong?” Catori immediately went to his aid, supporting him by his chest and back.  
“I just had the worst thought ever” He shut his eyes tight for a moment, seemingly light headed, as he gulped.  
“What is it?!” She helped him sit on the ground, observing him in concern. “You look so pale!”  
The boy took a few more seconds to breathe in and calm down. To his friends, it felt like an eternity until he finally looked up to them.  
However, when he spoke up, his eyes were settled on Catori with a strange and restless urgency.  
“What if Scott’s right?” Stiles whispered in horror. “What if we hadn’t rescued you?”  
“But I’m here” Catori tried to soothe his apprehension. “Nothing happened to me, you saved me”  
“I know” He shook his head, trying to tell them it wasn’t about that. “You don’t understand…”  
“Explain it to us then!” Malia urged him anxiously.  
“What if they had planned to keep Cat in there?” For an eternal second, Stiles just stared at Scott with a meaningful glance. As though he would be the only one to truly catch what he was trying to say.  
The alpha sighed heavily, understanding what Stiles meant.   
“They wanted to use Tori for something” He sternly stated.  
“Maybe use a sybil as the ultimate human sacrifice” Stiles gulped, heaving a ragged breath that he hardly managed.  
“Okay, you really need to try and remember then” Mason frowned in concern.  
“I’m not gonna do crap until Stiles feels better” Catori knelt down in front of him and held his hand.  
“Stiles, it will be okay” Scott stooped closer to his friend. “We’ll protect Catori and…“  
The girl held a hand up, trying to tell him that she would handle it.  
Scott grinned a little bit, touched by how genuinely concerned and dedicated to help Stiles she was. He just nodded and backed away, understanding her need to be there for him.  
The boy just gave them a moment and asked the rest to do the same.   
“Hey” Catori held him by the chin and turned his head so he would look at her. “Calm down and breathe, everything’s okay”   
Stiles was struggling to breathe and was at the verge of a panic attack just imagining it. Everything felt just too overwhelming, and his imagination began running wild.  
What if Vanessa’s pack had managed to win the battle over Scott? What if she was still going after them? Lydia, Derek, Malia? All of them? What if they couldn’t rescue Catori and Vanessa got her way to use her in whatever horrible way that evil woman was planning? What if she still could? What if she was looking for her right now? What if she actually managed to get to Catori again?!   
The boy’s face was beaded with sweat and he was still trying to get ahold of himself and calm down. But his heart was racing and thumping against his ribcage. His breathing was messy and hurried as he struggled to get some air into his lungs. And he was shaking, especially his hands, which wouldn’t stay still.  
“Don’t be silly” Catori tried to comfort him and cheer him up the best she could. Even if she was awkward and bad at it. “It’s okay, try to relax”  
She then wrapped her arms around his neck and smashed her lips onto his in a desperate attempt to ease his anxiety. To remind him that she loved him, that she was there and they were okay.   
That gesture seemed to mildly calm him down, but not enough.   
“You know I can kick ass, don’t you?” The girl locked eyes with him, trying to pass tranquility over to him. “Besides, who would mess up with me? When all of you guys are protecting me?”  
“C-Cat…” He frowned and gulped, trying to keep his hand steady as he put a tuft of hair behind her ear.  
She grinned at him with a sweet, reassuring and beautiful smile. Even though his brow was still furrowed, Stiles managed a weak smile in response.  
“I have an alpha werewolf and his betas, a werecoyote, a Kitsune, a banshee, a very loyal and determined friend and whatever Derek is…”  
Stiles chuckled a little bit. He was about to pipe up, so he opened his mouth and took a breath before he did. However, she cut him off before he could, placing a finger against his lips.  
“And how could I forget the adorable nerd of my boyfriend” The grin that plastered on her lips was gorgeous and tender enough to make him feel better, not to mention her words.   
It was the first time they used those words. The first time they somehow made official their relationship. And it felt great, it felt uplifting and encouraging.   
“I’m going to be fine, Stiles, I know it” Catori smiled, and so did he.  
Then she slowly inched closer to him until her warm lips pressed against his. The mere contact was comforting, heartwarming, exhilarating and intoxicating at the same time. They lingered on the kiss for two more heartbeats, then Stiles let out a shaky sigh, but this time it wasn’t because of his anxiety.   
She was right. To know that they had each other, and he also had her… It allowed him to finally breathe properly.   
“I’m fine!” He forced himself to announce, even if he was still shaky and feeble. Everyone turned around and heaved some sighs as well as put several faces of relief. A racket of mumbling and complaining filled the room.  
Stiles let Lydia and Liam help him up and he tried really hard to settle down his still racing heart.   
“You okay?” Scott immediately held his best friend by the shoulder, stabilizing him as he looked him up and down.  
“I said I’m fine” He nodded softly and smiled at him to comfort him.  
Catori heaved a loud sigh and threw herself to hug her boyfriend, shoving her face on his shoulder and squeezing him tight.   
“If you ever scare me like that again I’m gonna kill you, Stiles” The girl didn’t care about the fact that everyone was watching. She just needed to hold him for a moment.  
When she let go of him, the boy chuckled and grinned at her. It was almost the usual Stiles worthy smile: goofy, sweet and adorable.  
She stroke his hair gently once and stepped away knowing everyone else would want to check on him as well.   
“Good job” Scott whispered to her secretively while the attention was away from them. “That’s definitely something I couldn’t do to calm him down”   
“Did you-?” She whipped her head in a quick and sharp movement to look at him.  
By the look on his face, an amused and almost smug one, he did. Scott caught her kissing Stiles, maybe even calling him ‘boyfriend’.  
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Lydia placed a hand on the boy’s arm, furrowing her browns in concern.  
“Yes, let’s just get back to it” Stiles was definitely flustered by all that attention and worry and wanted to get them over it. “Catori figured something out. Right, Cat?”  
But the girl was eyeing Scott, flustered and mortified that he had witnessed that intimate moment with Stiles.  
“Catori” Stiles’ voice brought her back with the group.   
“Yeah?”  
“What was it about the moon?”   
The girl could still read the restlessness in his eyes as he tried to overcome it. So she made an effort to reply and get his mind off it as soon as possible.  
“I remember hazy images of Vanessa under the moonlight, during a full moon” She started saying, fixing her eyes in Scott since his baby browns seemed the friendliest. “I saw it during one of my sybil black outs”  
Deaton was the first to speak up. His eyebrows shot up in alarm.  
“This is very important, Catori” The doctor’s grave demeanor told them something ominous was going through his head. “Do you remember anything else?”  
“I, uh…” The brown-haired girl stuttered hopelessly.  
“I do!” Stiles intervened urgently. “She would say a few words during those trances”  
“That’s right” Scott backed him up. “About Chandrika and the moon, yeah”  
“What did she say?”   
“Beware of Chandrika?” The boy fidgeted around, squinting in deep thought as he absently gazed at his best friend. “And definitely something about Vanessa in the moonlight, with… with the triquetra”   
“What does that mean, Doc?” Scott asked warily, analyzing the man’s reaction.  
“Remember how we spoke about the triquetra implying a trio of vital cycles? And that it had healing or killing properties when its power is triggered?”  
“That’s why they took Catori, right?” Malia piped up, waving a hand towards the aforesaid. “Because she’s a sybil, a seer with great power like a banshee”  
“That’s right” Deaton nodded, still somber. “And the fact that Catori saw Vanessa during a full moon, using the triquetra might mean that she’s planning a ritual”   
“A…” Stiles couldn’t get the words unstuck from his throat for a moment. “A ritual?!”  
“For what?” Kira exclaimed as Liam and Mason mumbled things to each other in apprehension.  
“I don’t know, but those are the propitious circumstances” The man nodded solemnly.  
“We should find out what Chandrika is first” Derek spoke after a long time being quiet and turned to Catori. “You must have seen it, can you evoke what you saw?”   
All eyes suddenly turned to her, making her feel uncomfortable.   
“I-I don’t know how to do that!” She gulped, taking a step backwards to avoid the closeness.  
“You have the power to do it” Deaton tried to comfort and encourage her. “All you have to do is use it”  
“But I don’t know how!” The girl panicked a little, nibbling on her bottom lip at the thought of all that responsibility falling upon her.  
“You can do it, you’re a sybil!” Stiles held her by the shoulders in an attempt to pep her up. “You’re freaking Super Catori!”   
Everyone was trying to tell her to concentrate, give her some support and encouragement. But they were interrupted.  
“Even if she remembers” Lydia had been quietly observing the scene as well, but felt the need to point something out. “That doesn’t mean she can figure out where it’s supposed to be”   
The clinic was filled with a gloomy silence that none of them would break. Until one of them did in the end.  
“There’s always another possibility” Derek’s eyes lit up with a supernatural golden yellow shine. Then he held up his hand, showing his claws.  
That simple gesture put the whole group in turmoil and turned them into a messy yelling mess. Catori and Mason were the only ones who didn’t seem to catch what was the big deal.  
“What’s going on?” He whispered to her, opening his eyes wide in concern.  
“I have no idea” The girl sighed. “But I don’t like it one bit”  
“Anybody want to explain, please?” Mason shouted, trying to make himself louder than them.   
Catori observed how Stiles was shouting at Derek and how Scott had to calm him down, also because of Derek’s temper. Deaton tried to put order while the rest muttered unintelligible things to the other, barely audible over Derek and Stiles’ discussion.  
She just sighed again and forced her way in between the two boys to keep them apart and hopefully stop the racket. Which she fortunately did.  
“What the fuck is going on here?!” The girl demanded to know.  
Everyone remained silent, and Malia was the only one who dared to speak up and explain.  
“Putting his claws on your neck, he can get inside your mind” She explained simply. “And that way we can know what we need”  
“I don’t remember that being on the notebook” Catori nervously chuckled.  
“She can just try and do it on her own” Scott wasn’t too keen of letting her do it, even if he didn’t show it as fiercely as Stiles. The latter was nodding vehemently and pointing at his friend, strongly agreeing with him.   
“It might trigger her sybil abilities, though, sort of awaken them” Lydia shrugged a little, even if her eyebrows were furrowed in anxiety.  
“You know what else it might trigger?” Stiles observed restlessly. “All those things that she went through, she might relive all that crap again! Those terrible memoriesª”   
“It is dangerous…” Liam commented.  
Catori stupidly thought that if she were a werewolf that place would stink with pure anxiety.   
“You don’t have to do it, Tori” Scott fixed his gentle and calm brown eyes on her green ones as he placed a friendly hand on her arm.  
“I think I do” Even though she felt like crying, Catori took a determined breath and turned to Derek.   
The young man nodded in approval, even though his eyes displayed concern and anxiety like the others’ expressions.   
Figuring Scott –being the alpha –was the one for the job, she glanced back at him. Then she nodded herself, displaying resolve.   
“Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?” Stiles rushed her, quickly walking in front of her and lightly holding her hand.   
Yet again, Catori nodded. Even if she was nervous and jittery, and a little scared.   
“I trust Scott” She licked her lips to wet her dry lips. “We can do it”   
Everyone moved around, talking amongst themselves, while Deaton accompanied the two to get ready.   
“I have a very bad feeling about this” Lydia said, in a way that let them know that it wasn’t just nerves.  
It was a banshee feeling as well.


	25. The Ritual

The air felt heavy, the environment filled with dead silence and anxiety. Not only because of the fact that they were afraid to disturb Scott and Catori if they spoke up. But none of them felt like chatting at the moment.  
Lydia and Malia exchanged a restless glare. The latter sighed loudly in restlessness.  
Everyone was thinking the same thing. Worrying about their friends’ wellbeing and wondering whether them taking too long was a bad sign.  
A sudden sharp and loud intake of breath caught their attention. That could only mean that Catori and Scott were done.   
Everyone dashed to the other room to meet with their four friends.  
“Are you okay?” Lydia was the first one to break the silence.  
The redhead eyed each one of them, even if only Catori nodded. The rest of them were quiet and absent.  
Scott made a face of displeasure as he removed his claws from the girl’s nape. She groaned in pain and clutched onto Stiles’ hand even tighter since she was already holding it.   
For a moment, she leaned forward in her seat and breathed heavily. Everyone looked at the both of them with worried eyes. But then, with the help of Stiles, the brown-haired girl stood up. It was clear that she was shaking and still recovering from that exchange, but she didn’t care.  
“Did you see anything?” Derek piped up, glancing at Scott, who appeared to be weak and unstable.   
Lydia went to hug Catori tight while he replied. Meanwhile, Malia went to speak with the dazed Stiles while everyone else observed. They patiently waited for the alpha to speak up.   
“Lydia was right” Catori smiled feebly. “It triggered my sybil powers, I remember what I saw during my blackouts now”   
“Everything?” Liam exclaimed, surprised.  
She nodded, rubbing the back of her neck absently, there where the scar from Vanessa’s minion was reopened.  
“Well?” Derek was growing impatient and anxious. “What did you see?”  
“Chandrika” Scott began to say gravely. “We know where the ritual-“  
“What are we waiting for then?” Malia was resolved to get it over with as fast as possible. “Let’s go there! Where is it?”   
“No” Catori just said, her eyes shifting from Scott to Stiles and then to Lydia too. The latter was holding her hand for comfort, even if she was staring at the two boys in unease.   
“Don’t you know where it is?” Derek frowned, piercing her with his intense green eyes.  
Catori stared off into the distance in deep thought. She knew exactly where the ritual was going to happen, she could never mistake that place both Scott and her witnessed inside her mind.   
“There’s more to it, isn’t it?” Stiles finally talked after his long and unusual hush.  
Again, the room fell victim of a silent spell. No one dared to break it, until finally Catori did after several seconds.  
“Now that I remember, I know” She took a deep breath as her shaky fingers left her neck. “What I saw in my… my…”  
“Prophecies?” Kira tried to help her, seeing as she struggled to find the right word.  
“In my prophecies…” Catori settled for that word for the moment. “Chandrika is some sort of spirit, a really bad one”  
“Wait” Deaton had been quiet for the entire time as well, but decided it was a good time to add something to the conversation. “A spirit?”  
“What is it?” Lydia asked the doctor, observing him with her green eyes wide open.   
“One of the trio principles the triquetra can be used for is life, death and reincarnation”   
“What?!”   
“They want to bring it back…”   
“And what, let the spirit roam free? That sounds terrible!”   
Catori shook her head vehemently, horrified by the images of the ritual she saw thanks to her sybil nature.   
“They don’t plan on letting it free” Scott nervously licked his lips. “What would a free spirit be of use to them?”   
“Then what’s Vanessa’s plan?” Stiles bit his lip so hard that it could start bleeding any minute.  
“They need a body, a volunteer” Catori’s gaze was meaningful enough for him to understand.   
His theory of them needing Catori and using them after they were done harboring her power wasn’t so farfetched after all. He found a huge relief, however, thinking that she was safe from that. With Catori gone, Vanessa had to look for someone else.  
“What are they gonna do once Chandrika is back?”   
“Probably something evil” Liam said with fake cheerfulness.  
“And who is the volunteer?” Kira wondered aloud, exchanging glances with her friends. “If we find it, we might be able to control Chandrika”  
“That, we don’t know” Scott said, saddened.  
“Even if we knew, it wouldn’t be that easy” On an instinct to relief her nerves, Catori brought her nails to her lips and started chewing on them.   
“Norman!” Derek piped up when an idea suddenly popped up in his head. “Maybe that’s how he fits in all of this”   
“It would only make sense” The other boy muttered in deep thought. “It would explain why Vanessa is interested in an omega or wants anything to do with his pack”   
Before anyone else said anything, Stiles piped up. He had been extremely quiet those last minutes, even if he had barely said anything for the entire thing.  
“I know how we can control it” Something in his behavior told everyone he had a plan. But only Scott and Catori –maybe Lydia too –knew him well enough to realize they didn’t want to hear it.  
“I have experience dealing with evil spirits, I could-“  
“No” Even if the rest were definitely horrified by the idea as well, Scott was the first to oppose.   
Catori felt his aura shift drastically, from his usual calm and friendly to heavily angry and outraged, almost unstable. That was a clear sign that it was a serious matter.  
“Stiles…” Lydia whispered, devastated.  
“It almost killed you” Scott shook his head, refusing to let him do it. “It… It nearly destroyed you!”   
“It’s the only way”  
“It’ not!”  
“What are you talking about?”  
Stiles uncomfortably shifted around and glanced at Catori when she asked. He then sighed with his chest tight and looked away as he began to reply.  
“The Nogitsune” That word reminded her of Kira because of the fact that she was a ‘Kitsune’.   
The girl wondered if the Japanese fox like creature had something to do with it as she subtly looked over to Scott’s girlfriend.   
“And what does it have to do with Chandrika?”  
“I was possessed by it and survived, maybe I could serve as the vessel for Chandrika too…” The boy made a pause, keeping his eyes on the floor to avoid all the looks of concern. “At least long enough for you guys to do something about it”  
“Do what?”  
“Undo the ritual”  
“And how do you suggest we do that?”   
“I should do it instead” Scott offered, placing a hand over his friend’s shoulder.  
“No, if anyone’s doing it that should be me” Stilinski fidgeted around. “I’m the one who has experienced it before and-“  
“We need a plan B” Catori couldn’t stand hearing them talk about who would sacrifice himself and needed to interrupt the conversation.  
“No we don’t, I can do it”   
“I’m not letting you do this unless we have a plan B, Stiles”   
“But-“  
“And I’m only letting you do it because it’s our very last hope” Her voice broke, showing how heartbroken she felt deep down. Upon gazing at her, he noticed. But Catori didn’t mind showing weakness anymore, and less in front of him after all they had been through.  
“My thoughts exactly” Scott’s eyes were shinning, they were getting watery. “If we had more time, we could find another way, but…”   
“That’s why!” Stiles exclaimed impatiently. “We don’t have time!”  
After a good two minutes of complete silence in which everyone was too immersed in their own thoughts to speak up out of concern, Deaton piped up.  
“Does anyone have a plan B?” The man was obviously resigned and angry with himself for not knowing.  
“I think I do…” Catori showed a half smile, exchanging a look with Stiles.  
“What is it?”  
“Vanessa is a selkie, right?” When he nodded, she kept talking. “Well, I might have something on her”   
Stiles squinted in concentration, trying to think of what they found out when they were researching selkies together. When an idea popped into his mind, he thought he knew what Catori was getting at.  
“I need to think more about it” She excused herself, biting her lip. “But it might work”   
Since they all began to talk amongst themselves and give Catori a little bit of space to think her plan through, the attention was diverged off her.  
“Why don’t we use your plan instead?” Scott whispered to her, trying to have some privacy taking the opportunity that no one paid attention to them.  
“That’s what we’re gonna do” Catori replied as though it was obvious, with a cunning grin. “I’m not letting him do it, Scotty”  
“But you said-“  
“Maybe I lied”   
Neither of the two said anything for a few seconds, they just held the other’s glances.   
“So what’s that plan B of yours?” Derek asked the girl as he tiredly leaned on the wall.   
Shrugging, the brown-haired girl decided to tell them even if she hadn’t thought it through yet. Before she began to tell everyone what her idea was, however, Catori couldn’t help but to glance at Stiles yet again.  
She wouldn’t let him go on with his plan even if that was the last thing she did. And she knew that Scott and the rest were with her on that.  
*  
Even the sound of the Jeep door slamming shut made Catori jump. It felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders, like any of them could die any minute. Like her life could take a nasty turn any second.  
She looked around to their friends as they got out of the other car and they all gathered before walking into the ritual zone. The girl gulped as she looked up to the sky and saw the full moon shining bright, bathing them with the moonlight that she took as a bad omen.  
Someone suddenly held her hand, making her look down again. At first she thought it was Stiles, but those hands were too soft and calm to be his.   
Catori glanced at Lydia, who squeezed her hand soothingly and in seek of comfort. She nodded to the redhead and sighed, tightening the grip herself.  
The girls proceeded to start walking closer to the exact place where the ritual was taking place. But someone stopped them.  
Even right there in front of Lydia, Stiles positioned himself in front of them and held Catori by the chin, smiling at her. Before she could say anything, and gifting her with a wink out of the blue, Stiles quickly leaned in.  
Their lips lightly met for a few seconds, passionately, before he pulled away and hurriedly ran off. The sybil followed Stiles with her eyes as he went with Scott and moved forward.  
“What was that for?!” Catori shouted at him, getting no response.  
When exchanging a gloomy look with Lydia, she realized what that kiss had meant.  
It meant that Stiles was afraid. He was terrified of thinking about what they were going to do, about his plan and about the fact that he might not live to tell the deed. And that he wanted to give Catori a last kiss just in case.  
Catori sighed desolate and lowered her head as she kept on walking. She refused to look up and face the situation. She was content with staring at the withered yellow grass under her converse.   
Only when Catori heard Lydia gasp and felt the shift in everyone’s aura, did she look up. And then she understood why everyone felt so alert and tense.  
Before their eyes stood Vanessa, as imposing as ever.   
Her piercing dark eyes challenged them smugly to go along with the grin plastered on her lips painted red. Her black hair seemed even darker and wilder in that dim light, resembling that of a lion.  
Along with her, of course, was her pack. Surprisingly, Norman was there too, which meant that Vanessa probably still had some use for him. Otherwise, why would an omega be with an alpha, especially in such a special moment?  
There was a single grave next to Vanessa, and on the stone was just written the word ‘Chandrika’, long ago carved into it. It wasn’t a full name, just that word, which gave her shivers. That spirit was once very powerful, so much so that apparently its original name had been long forgotten. All that was left of it was Chandrika, like a bad omen of something terrible incoming.  
Just below the name was the triquetra symbol, as though it was often associated with Chandrika. As though it was the spirit’s symbol as well as the triskelion-like one.  
The sudden sound of lightning startled them all. Catori visibly jumped up because of it. She bit her bottom lip as she looked over to Vanessa and saw an evil smirk plastered on her red lips. She was causing the storm, since selkies had the power to do it.  
Catori wanted to cry out of anguish, but refused to let herself do it. Even if she knew Lydia enough to know what she was thinking not only by the look on her face, but also thanks to their seer connection.  
The banshee was sure of one thing. Someone was going to die during the ritual.


	26. The End

It was ironic that the place where all began to go wrong for Catori was almost the exact same place where it might end as well. Very close to the place she had been held captive by Vanessa, in the middle of the forest, was where the ritual was supposed to be held at.   
But there they were, facing certain death while trying to save the world from an evil free spirit that threatened to destroy Beacon Hills with its powerful reincarnation.  
“You’re not as stupid as I thought you were” Vanessa broke the silence, even if the tension lingered in the air, so thick that it was tangible. “Or as useless, congratulations”   
Catori was slowly feeling how the anger began to build up inside her. How her cheeks burned in fury and her hands shook with hatred. But what did it for her was the satisfied smirk that appeared on Vanessa’s lips painted crimson red, a color resembling blood.  
It was her fault that all of that had happened. It was Vanessa’s fault that Scott had gotten hurt and almost was killed. It was his pack that attacked him after all.  
It was her fault that Stiles almost died as well, stabbed to death by millions of shreds of glass. He would have been dead if it weren’t because Catori felt the danger and was there to save him.  
It was Vanessa’s fault as well that the girl had a scar in her neck, that constantly reminded her of the horrible events that led to it, including the scarring memories.   
But overall, it was her fault that Stiles was willing to give his life to stop her. That someone would probably die in there just because she felt like it.  
“You bitch” Catori took a step forward very angrily, raising her arm with the intention of punching her in that smug face of hers.   
“Whoa” Along with Scott –who had the fastest reflexes -, Stiles held her back when noticing. “Calm down, Cat”  
Vanessa was just amused by this behavior.   
“Looks like you’re always up for more, darling” She challenged Catori, tempting her as well as mocking her. “Don’t you have enough already?”   
“Stop this right now” Scott intervened, menacingly flashing his bright red eyes at her and bringing out his sharp claws. “While you can”   
It wasn’t a very effective threat. Even though Scott could be and was a very powerful alpha despite his softness, Vanessa shadowed him. And she wasn’t bothered by his words at all.  
They all sized each other up. Complete silence surrounded the forest, only being interrupted by the sound of the sporadic lightning from the storm she caused. It was nerve-wracking.  
In fact, Catori only realized how much she was shaking –in fear, fury, nerves, concern –when Stiles tenderly held her hand and filled her with his warm and comforting touch.  
“So this was your plan?” Derek decided to speak up and break the torturous silence. “Get an omega to do your dirty work while you try to bring an evil spirit back and set it free?”  
“Pretty much” Vanessa was so arrogant that she didn’t try to hide it.   
“What for?”   
“To earn her gratitude” She shrugged casually. “Then she will make me even stronger, even more powerful. Invincible!”   
Catori gulped at the thought of that. Seeing Vanessa cast out a storm effortlessly, like a goddess, was terrifying enough.   
“And you had to kill all those people for that” Scott strongly disapproved, shaking his head angrily. “All those innocent people”  
“As well as attempting to destroy everyone in your way” Stiles added, obviously resentful about it still.  
“And look at all of you now” Vanessa smirked evilly, satisfied. “All these volunteers to inhabit Chandrika, all to my disposition”   
Catori visibly dropped her jaw in realization. Stiles’ grip on her hand softened as well from the sheer shock.  
“She’s smart…”   
“You had planned this all along, lured us into the ritual! You wanted us to figure it out to come!”  
“I even planted a hint in her head once I was done with the little sybil”   
Catori’s throat shook with an unintelligible sob. She felt used, useless and betrayed. Even if Vanessa was their enemy, the fact that she outsmarted them so greatly and tricked them disturbed her. To think that she utilized Catori for her own twisted intentions and gave her a fake sense of accomplishment… it sickened her.  
“What are we waiting for then?” The woman took ahold of the triquetra amulet, an object they hadn’t seen in what felt like ages. “Let’s get started, shall we?”   
Something broke out in the sky, and it felt like a thunderbolt had directly hit the triquetra amulet that Vanessa was holding. Only when she looked at it twice, seeing as it didn’t fade, Catori saw clearly.  
It was emerging from the talisman itself, creating a supernatural light that couldn’t mean anything good.  
They could clearly see everyone in Vanessa’s pack back away in fright behind her, especially Norman. But the selkie herself stood tall and mighty, proud and delighted with her creation as she screamed ‘Chandrika’ at the top of her lungs.  
Then it all happened very fast.  
When Stiles let go of her hand, she knew it was the point of no return. Her heart skipped a beat and her fingers tingled with fear.   
Before she even knew why, before her brain told her what Stiles was trying to do, Catori turned on an instinct towards the second person that made her feel the safest.  
“Scott!” She shouted in anguish, holding onto Lydia’s arm as well.  
The redheaded frowned in concern as she watched the scene. There was a great commotion amongst the pack as Stiles jumped over Vanessa and gripped the triquetra symbol.  
The both of them struggled with the control of the amulet under the attentive eyes of everyone else. No one intervened at first. Definitely not Vanessa’s betas, which showed how they followed her because of fear and not loyalty.   
However, the alpha of the other pack –the McCall pack, that is –was already on his way to aid his friend. Not without asking his friends not to intervene first, he would take care of it.   
Scott threw himself towards them as he shifted into werewolf form, even if none of them flinched. But because of his great strength, the boy knocked the both of them down.   
It felt like time had suddenly stopped. No one moved at first.  
Then Vanessa slowly stood up in what seemed like a triumphant way.   
Scott and Stiles remained on the floor. The first worriedly staring at his best friend and shaking him until he reacted.  
“Are you okay?”  
“Yeah, I think so…” Confused and almost disappointed, Stiles stood up and brushed himself off.  
“He’s fine” Liam sighed in relief.   
But then Stiles held onto Scott and grunted in pain. Something that caused Lydia to clutch to Catori’s hand in apprehension.  
“Oh no…” Kira mumbled behind them, frightened.   
“S…Stiles?” Catori whispered, so lowly that she could hardly hear herself.  
The boy had closed his eyes tight, almost in a grimace of pain. He also shrank into himself in a weird and uncomfortable way, as though he wanted to get rid of whatever he was feeling at that moment.  
Catori gasped for air, fearing it was too late for Stiles.  
The worst of all, however, was the fact that their plan B had failed. And even if their secret weapon showed up, it might already be too late to save Stiles.   
Then, all of a sudden, the boy straightened up. He was calm again, as though everything had passed.  
“Stiles?” Lydia and Catori took a step forward to him, but Malia stopped them. She must have sensed something they didn’t, because her expression was grave and severe when they looked at her.  
Indeed, when Stiles opened his eyes they didn’t see his sweet caramel brown orbs. They were completely black, evil looking.  
“Chandrika” Catori choked up, recognizing those eyes from her visions.   
“Reverse the ritual!” Scott told the girls, scratching Vanessa and attacking her to distract her.  
“What about Stiles? And you?” Catori screamed, feeling tears arriving to her eyes as her voice became shaky.  
“Go!” Scott briefly looked at them right before Vanessa barged at him, prey of an insane rage.   
“But-“ Catori objected, preoccupied by her friend’s safety.  
“GO!!!” Derek supported the alpha, fighting by his side.   
Mason held the girl by the arm and gently tugged at her, trying to get her to oblige. She only did because she knew it was their only hope to reverse what Chandrika had done to Stiles.   
“I’ll get the amulet” She told Lydia, who looked distraught and horrified herself. “You call Parish, I hope he’s ready!”   
“I’ll help Scott and Derek” Malia turned into her coyote form and went to their aid.   
Meanwhile, Lydia tried to get away from the commotion and dial Parrish’ number hoping he would pick up. The rest of the pack were fighting Vanessa, except for Mason, who was trying to help Catori.  
Kira used her fox abilities and her sword skills to battle Norman. Derek and Scott joined forces against Vanessa, Liam and Malia were up against her betas.   
Mason held onto Catori’s arm as they both raced to get to the triquetra amulet. They really hoped their plan worked, otherwise they were lost. Chandrika would create havoc amongst Beacon Hills and, alongside Vanessa, destroy the entire city.  
With no effort whatsoever, Chandrika –still in Stiles’ body –tossed Mason across the air so he slammed his back against a tree and was knocked unconscious.   
Catori grimaced at the sight and prayed that he was okay while she ran towards the amulet still. She only forgot about Mason momentarily because she still felt his energetic and kind aura.   
A lightning falling from the sky that landed one meter to her right almost hit her, and she thanked whatever superior forces for the second chance to live.   
Then she tried to ignore her racing heart and centered all her might into the triquetra. It was vital to get to it and end it all, save everyone. Especially save Stiles from that monster that was possessing his body.  
Catori was barely a few steps away from the platform where the amulet resided in, but a brutal force pushed her and threw her flying through the air like it had Mason.   
As she fell, Catori hit her head and tiny twinkles started dancing before her eyes. She felt rid from her strength, dizzy and nauseous due to a possible concussion.  
However, she pulled through. Crawling across the ground filled with leaves that crushed against her weight, she made her way to the amulet, filled with determination.  
She was right there, slapping her hand against it and grapping it when a hand was tightly wrapped around her neck.  
“What do you think you’re doing?” Stiles’ soft voice wasn’t his own. Instead it sounded demonic, guttural and teared.  
With titanic strength, he lifted her up until her feet left the ground.   
“Stiles?” Catori refused to believe he was gone, she begged for him to come back.  
To call her Cat, to fluster her, to make her hate him in the most playful and adorable of ways. To make her roll her eyes, to call her Kit Kat even!   
She just wanted her Stiles back. Listen to his sweet and goofy voice, see his tender caramel eyes, hear his wonderful laughter, see him fidgeting around. Leave behind the nightmare that was Chandrika and get him back.  
“Wrong” It felt awful to have his restless and tender fingers crush her throat, it made her stomach sick to think that he wasn’t aware of how much Chandrika was hurting them in his name.   
“He’s almost here, Cat-“ Before Lydia could even finish her sentence, she witnessed the peril her best friend was going through.   
“Lydia, stay away!” Catori was wriggling in his grip, trying to swing her legs to hit him, to no avail. But even then she tried to keep her friend out of trouble, despite the hoarseness of her voice.   
The redhead ignored her and ran to Stiles, trying to make him let go of Catori. He easily got rid of her too, showing how powerful Chandrika was by knocking her down as well.  
A sob arrived to Catori’s throat when she noticed Lydia was bleeding.   
“Give it to me!” Chandrika tried to get the amulet from her closed fist, but she refused to let go of it.  
“Stiles, I know you’re still in there!” The brown-haired girl managed to let out. “Let him go, you bitch!!”   
“Why would I?” Chandrika used Stiles’ body to smirk in a terrifying and disgusting way. “He’s my ticket to freedom”   
“Because it’s the triquetra that gives you power, isn’t it?” Even if she felt at the verge of consciousness because of lack of oxygen, Catori grinned cunningly. “What… gives you power… can take it from you”   
Chandrika frowned with Stiles’ eyebrows. The spirit’s black eyes fixed on Catori’s hand just as it opened and dropped the amulet.  
The wooden triquetra fell to the ground, where Lydia quickly got hold of it.   
“I’ll take this” Their secret weapon had finally arrived.  
Parrish helped Lydia up and showed the amulet just as flames emerged from every part of his whole body. They infiltrated onto his hand and the amulet he was holding, burning it to the core until it became just a pile of ashes.  
“No!” Chandrika screeched, finally dropping Catori. “NO!”  
The girl held her throat and coughed, trying to get some air into her lungs as well. Lydia immediately went to check on her.   
Chandrika’s scream was piercing and shrill, hurting their ears and making them all cover them in pain. Then another scream erupted from his throat, this time being a mixture between Chandrika and Stiles. With her last breath, Stiles fell feebly and limp.  
Catori was torn between her concern for her boyfriend and for the rest of the pack as well.  
At least Chandrika seemed to be gone, despite whatever consequences that had over Stiles’ body.  
Finding that she had no strength to stand up and check on Stiles, Catori looked over to Scott and the rest. Vanessa seemed even angrier, to the point of madness. Her brilliant and elaborate plan had failed after all.   
On the other hand, the group’s plan had succeeded. To a certain extent, since it wasn’t done executing.   
The only ones standing were Norman and Vanessa, who were suddenly outnumbered by Scott’s pack. The man stepped back, but she refused to accept defeat.   
Parrish, however, joined his friends. He jumped on Vanessa and wrapped his arms around her, still completely covered in the supernatural fire of a Hellhound.   
Her screech was almost as disturbing as Chandrika’s. And it held almost more anger and desperation.  
Norman ripped Parrish off her and tried to smother out to flames while she screamed out. He took off her fur jacket, even if Vanessa refused to let him do it.   
Everyone watched in horror and expectation. The success of their plan depended on how that turned out.  
“Don’t, you idiot!” Vanessa roared, wriggling around even if the fire burned her despite the fact that her selkie skin seemed to repel it.   
“You’ll burn to death!” Norman argued, fighting to get it off her.  
“I won’t, don’t touch the jacket!” As they expected, the jacket was her fur.  
Catori’s plan B was to destroy Vanessa’s fur, since it was the source of her powers due to being a selkie, in the hopes that it would finish with her too.  
And it had worked, as Vanessa was no more. Norman’s desperate attempt to save her life and own her trust had ironically meant her demise.  
Once the commotion was over and everything seemed to have calmed down, Scott went to help Catori up, since she was too weak to do so on her own. The rest were checking on their friends, making sure they weren’t badly hurt. Despite the fact that they were sore and bruised because of the fight.  
“You okay?” Scott asked in anguish, meaning to check on Stiles as soon as she replied.   
However, she didn’t even give him a chance. Stumbling and swaying, her vision blurry and her legs weak, Catori ran to Stiles. She fell to the ground before kneeling down, but she was right next to him and didn’t even mind.   
“Stiles?” Despite feeling everyone’s eyes on them, the girl kept her gaze glued to him. “Come on, you nerd, open your eyes!”  
She shook him, holding him by the shirt, and did her absolute best not to start crying when he didn’t respond.   
Feeling helpless and lost, Catori looked over her shoulder to her friends. First to Scott, then to Lydia, then to everyone else.   
“Scotty…” The girl sobbed, begging him to do something. Anything.   
He kneeled next to her with teary eyes and stared at Stiles.  
“S-Stiles?” Scott tried himself, even if Catori had never seen him so terrified.   
Already letting one tear escape, the girl began sobbing without control and held Stiles’ hand, clinging to him. He felt warm, but so still and calm…  
Scott and Catori could hear Lydia crying behind them, broken by the grief. One of them sighed, another one sobbed, someone angrily hit a tree.  
Catori didn’t know what to do, she didn’t even have the strength to be there, to exist. Not thinking that Stiles was gone.  
She just hid her face on Scott’s shoulder, seeking any kind of comfort she could get. It seemed the only thing left for them at the moment: each other.   
Catori just cried, disconsolate. It was the only thing she felt able to do, just bawl her eyes out. What else was there to do?  
Furious with the world, the girl squeezed Stiles’ hand as hard as she could as though it could bring him back, wake him up.  
And then, a ray of hope. Stiles groaned and stirred around just enough for them to notice.  
Feebly, the boy let his other hand fall over her to remind her that she was still squeezing. He opened his eyes and looked at his friend.  
Everyone circled around him, observing him and making various noises of relief such as chuckles, sighs or sobs.  
“Cat, you’re hurting my hand…” Stiles whispered weakly, letting his eyes fall over Scott and then her.  
“Stiles…” Catori whispered with relief, curving up the corners of her mouth even if her lips were trembling.  
Almost as though he heard the barely audible sound, the boy looked at her. His eyes shone as they locked with hers. When he smiled at her, something stirred within her and suddenly that same smile was plastered on her own lips.   
Very slowly, the boy stood up. Shaky and unstable, but he was on his feet.  
Without a word, she ran to him. Throwing herself to him, she tightly wrapped her arms around Stiles. Catori made him totter, but he was still grinning and hugged her fondly too.  
They hugged each other like they hadn’t seen in a long time. Like they thought they would never see each other again. Like they needed each other’s support.  
He broke the hug and observed her carefully. It was like the Nogitsune nightmare had happened all over again, because he felt guilty and awful about hurting his friends.  
Stiles lovingly brushed her long bangs away from her eyes, revealing a wound in her forehead when he did. Gingerly, he rubbed his thumb against it, making her wince.  
Knowing what was going through his mind and trying to make him forget, she urgently hugged him again. She shakily sighed on his shoulder, feeling how she was trembling from head to toe herself.  
“Cat…” The boy uttered in surprise. “Cat, you okay?”  
The girl took her time to answer. She just rejoiced in the amazing moment, in the feeling of safety that he provided her with. In the contact of his arms around her as he hugged her, in how they were so close that she could feel him breathing next to her body and hear his heartbeat since her ear was resting against his chest.  
Before she slightly separated herself from him, Catori squeezed him and nuzzled her nose on his shoulder for a brief moment. Then she looked at him without breaking the hug.  
“No, I’m not okay!!” The girl finally answered, shaking her head. “I’m still terrified!!”  
Stiles frowned at the answer, not liking to hear that. But part of himself wanted to show the biggest grin when he realized something. She had admitted it.  
“You giant idiot, you!! Ugh!!” Catori was shaking from head to toe, but she shoved her forehead in his shoulder and held him tight. “You scared me so much, I hate you!”  
“Is everyone okay?” Scott’s eyes swept across the group in apprehension.  
“Got a headache” Mason said, rubbing his sore nape. “But I’m alive…”   
“Tori? Stiles?” The alpha asked them then.  
“We will survive” The boy replied, affectionately patting Catori’s back.  
Just then, she broke down and cried on his chest.  
“It’s okay” Lydia tugged at her arm and tried to comfort her, but Catori held onto Stiles and would not let go of the embrace.  
She would have never expected to love someone so much. It couldn’t even be expressed by words.   
It felt like she would never find the courage to break the hug. If it were for her, Catori would hug him forever. Just feeling his warmth again, his familiar and comforting aura. Feeling his fidgety fingers caressing her and hearing his soft and goofy voice trying to comfort her as he also tried to lighten up the mood.  
Her Stiles was back.


	27. Epilogue: Forget It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! I hope those of you who stayed until the end enjoyed the story! As I revised it and posted the chapters I noticed there are some issues with the tone and pacing of the story sometimes, but I'm still pretty proud of the result. Thank you so much for reading, if you liked it consider leaving kudos or a comment? ;)

Luckily for them, Melissa McCall would heal everyone and ask no questions about all those suspicious looking wounds. Or at least, she wouldn’t think they were insane when they explained their bruises were made by an alpha selkie, an omega werewolf, an evil spirit brought back to life and a bunch of betas.  
Sheriff Stilinski was a whole different thing. He would be very mad and anxious. Just like Chris Argent.  
And Lucy Hudson… well, for her to freak out it was needed that she found out her daughter was a sybil first. Then finding out about the rest of supernatural mess would follow.  
Catori sat up in her hospital bed. She felt sore all over, and her head still hurt a little from when she hit it. Other than that, she felt lucky nothing too huge happened.  
A knock on the door startled her, making her look in that direction. Stiles stood there awkwardly, analyzing her reaction. Catori smiled at him, watching him looking all ragged and disheveled just like herself.  
“How you feeling, Cat?” He asked her, coming in seeing as she didn’t seem angry or distraught.  
“Like we just saved the world from an evil spirit and a crazy selkie” The girl replied sarcastically, making him chuckle. “What about you?”  
“Nothing that a good hug can’t fix” Stiles sat next to her and hugged her tight. Catori rolled her eyes, even if he wasn’t looking, and pushed him away.  
“I cry in your shoulder, tell you I’m not okay and freak out…” She said in awe and a bit of outrage. “And you give me a cheesy and boring reply like that?”  
“I don’t feel like freaking out” He sarcastically replied. “I’m tired”  
The girl contained the urge to roll her eyes again.  
“Listen, Cat-“ Stiles was about to say something when someone knocked on the open door.  
“Knock knock…” Scott stood there, hoping he hadn’t interrupted anything.  
Even if his friend suspiciously smelled like anxiety and seemed restless about talking to her. For whatever reason.  
“Scotty!” Too tired to stand up, she just opened her arms for him to go hug her. He complied.  
“You guys doing okay?” The werewolf asked as he broke the hug.  
“Yeah!” Catori replied, seeing as Stiles didn’t. “How’s everyone else?”  
“Mason has a bump on his head and Malia broke her arm” Scott briefly told them. “But they’ll heal”  
“Her faster, though” Maybe it was the fact that they escaped certain death, but Catori felt cheerful enough to joke around.  
“Do you mind?” Stiles sent his friend a meaningful glare, almost as though they knew something Catori ignored. “We were talking”  
“Oh” Scott immediately took a step back. “Sorry, I just wanted to check on you. I didn’t know I was interrupting or anything, I-“  
His best friend just made a gesture with his head, asking him to leave already.  
“What’s gotten into you?”  
“I just want to chat with you, that’s all”  
“I call bullshit”  
“Well, actually I wanted to-“  
“See, I knew something was up!”  
“Excuse me, I had something to say” Stiles told her in annoyance.  
“Then say it, you moron” She couldn’t help but to smile.  
“Wanna do something later?” He analyzed her reaction, pausing and biting his lip. “Like go out and catch a movie or something?”  
“Are you actually asking me on a date, Stiles?” Catori chuckled in amusement. “Great timing!”  
“I know” This time, he rolled his eyes. “I must say this place is so romantic”  
Stiles sarcastically let his eyes wander around the hospital room.  
“Are you paying?” The girl teased him. “I mean, what’s the point of going on a date if-“  
“Yes or no, Kit Kat” He impatiently cut her off.  
“Sure, boyfriend” Catori nudged him playfully. “About time we went on our first actual date”  
*  
Just as she hung up with Amanda –Catori’s jujitsu mate had been worried about her missing the lessons and they ended up chatting and catching up –, Lydia was ringing the doorbell.  
“Coming!” The girl called out as she ran to open the door.  
As soon as she did, Lydia grinned and showed her a big vanity case.  
“It’s the big day!” She seemed really excited. “Time to get you ready”  
“You didn’t have to-“  
“Figured you didn’t have any make-up” The redhead pursed her lips as she came in. “So I brought my own”  
“What makes you think I don’t?”  
“Well, do you?”  
“No…” Catori smiled. “But my mom does!”  
Lydia reciprocated the smile.  
“Well, it’s time everyone sees how pretty you are” The redhead held her friend’s hair up, tilting her head to figure it if she liked it better like that. “We’re gonna make you wear a cute dress, put some make-up on you and hold up your hair”  
“That sounds like a lot of work” Catori made a face, feeling lazy just thinking about it.  
“You can’t rush beauty, honey” With playful smugness, Lydia pointed at herself with a motion of her hand. “Look at myself”  
“I’m not that pretty” She mumbled as she walked up the stairs, her friend following closely.  
“You are, you just hide it under all those superhero shirts and those jeans”  
“Aw, shut up!”  
“You’re adorable” Her friend pinched her cheek. “Remember that black dress you bought when Stiles went shopping with us?”  
“How can I forget” The brown-haired girl rolled her eyes, even if it amused her to remember Stiles’ reaction.  
“That’s the one” Lydia looked around her wardrobe, looking for it. “That’s the perfect dress for your date with Stiles”  
“You really think so?”  
The other huffed in outrage, as though she was making fun of her with that silly question.  
“Catori, do I have to remind you the way he looked at you when you tried it on?”  
She blushed, remembering it vividly. It made her feel attractive, sexy and beautiful all at the same time. And at last she understood why Lydia seemed to be enjoying herself so much, she definitely wanted them to get together and thought they liked each other. And deep down, they did, even back then.  
“Fine, but I’m not wearing high heels”  
Lydia looked at her quickly, offended like she had said something horrible.  
“Why not?!”  
“They’re uncomfortable! We’re probably gonna walk a lot!”  
“Fine… as long as you wear the dress…”  
“It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?” Catori mumbled as Lydia took everything she would need and put it over the bed.  
“What is?”  
“I’m going on a date with Stiles, they guy that couldn’t stand me when we first met” She chuckled, remembering how much they used to hate each other. “We were always fighting, arguing and getting on each other’s nerves”  
“That’s love at second sight” The redhead said as she gave her the dress to get changed. “It happens”  
“Love at second sight, huh?”  
Lydia just grinned at her comment, even if her eyes were fixed on the vanity case. She was so excited to make Catori up for her date with Stiles.  
*  
It was the first time they were actually alone, having fun like a regular couple. Not surrounded by the pack, nor discussing what to do to avoid getting killed by psychotic selkies and spirits. It felt refreshing and exhilarating.  
As soon as Stiles arrived to pick her up –he was late, surprising no one –he took Catori’s hand and begun to walk. It felt somewhat awkward and artificial at first, even if they were enjoying themselves.  
And even if Lydia seemed to think they were adorable as she walked with them for a while when Stiles picked Catori up before branching off the path to get back home.  
“Weird, huh?” Stiles finally piped up, not standing the uncomfortable silence anymore. The sound of their shoes against the pavement was too loud for him. “You and me”  
“Especially without anything endangering our lives” Catori joked to relief the tension.  
“I’m so glad that Vanessa is gone”  
“Yeah, me too”  
The boy looked at her with a hint of smirk playing on his lips, although she didn’t notice. He thought that the perfect way to break the ice would be to tease each other, like they always did.  
That way everything would feel more natural and genuine and they would slip into a more casual date.  
“Her obsession of you was disturbing me” Stiles really hoped his little joke didn’t upset Catori nor stir bad memories. “I mean, I’m the only one allowed to be so despicable with you”  
“That’s how it is then” Much to his relief, she played along. “Is that why you’re so obnoxious and annoying all the time?”  
“Yeah?” The boy replied as though it was obvious.  
Catori laughed a little, feeling so exhilarated and happy. But she got quiet when she thought of Vanessa, not being able to help it. They had gone through so much because of her, it was impossible to just forget it.  
“How do you think she knew I was here?” The girl asked Stiles, mildly anxious. “In Beacon Hills, of all places? She didn’t know I was the sybil she was looking for, that’s for sure”  
Even if she never mentioned the other girls that weren’t as lucky as Catori herself, Stiles knew what she meant.  
“Probably because of the Nemeton” His voice sounded raspy when he responded. “It attracts supernatural creatures like a beacon”  
Maybe he was right. Maybe she hadn’t opposed that much to moving to Beacon Hills because of that. Maybe her sybil nature, despite being dormant, somehow knew.  
Stiles fixed his eyes on her and lowly sighed when he saw her expression, one that he knew all too well. Her brow furrowed, her lips pursed in concern and her eyes absently stared at a random spot in front of her.  
“Hey” He nudged her to get her back to reality, to force her to abandon her fears and preoccupations. “None of that matters now, does it?”  
Catori knew what he was trying to do, so she smiled.  
“Right” The girl smirked when she remembered something. “By the way, I had to tell you something”  
“What is it?”  
“You’re welcome”  
“Thank… you? For what, though?”  
“If I hadn’t had a back-up plan, you wouldn’t be here right now”  
Stiles rolled his eyes at her smug self-satisfaction.  
“I thought none of that mattered now”  
“Yeah, try to change the subject…”  
“Thanks, okay? Oh, super Catori” Stiles’ voice was dripping with sarcasm. “Thank you for saving my life”  
Thinking of one thing that would probably fluster her and turn the tables, he smirked. Then he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulled her closer and smacked his lips on hers.  
It was just for one second, but it definitely flustered Catori. He also noticed how she went after his lips once they broke the kiss. And how she had blushed violently.  
“As I said” Catori cleared her throat, pretending it didn’t bother her. “You’re welcome”  
Stiles laughed a little and bumped his shoulder into hers, playfully and fondly.  
“Where do you wanna go then?”  
“Wanna go to the museum? I want to see how it looks now that it’s fixed, I haven’t been there in so long” Upon seeing Stiles’ panicked expression and giving it a bit of thought, she corrected herself. “Don’t worry, it’s probably just Minerva there now”  
Stiles had freaked out over meeting Catori’s mom during an actual date. To be formally introduced as her boyfriend, because he was not ready to accept that. He didn’t even want to think about what impression he would have on her.  
“Okay…” The boy replied, trying to sound calm but actually sounding relieved.  
They marched over to the museum, calmly interlacing their fingers as their palms pressed together. Catori couldn’t help but to think how bizarre it all was.  
How if someone told her a while ago she would be dating him later on, she would have laughed in their faces. They had truly gone a long way.  
“Remember how much we disliked each other?” The girl mumbled, voicing her thoughts to listen to his opinion.  
At first, Stiles just tilted his head in appreciation. But when he gave more thought to the subject, he chuckled and nodded.  
“When I think about it, it’s so odd…”  
“We used to hate the other”  
“Hate is a strong word” Stiles disagreed, shaking his head in a cute manner. “I just didn’t trust you”  
“You set a trap for me” The girl squinted her eyes at him in annoyance. “Thanks for that, by the way”  
“It’s wasn’t really for you, I… I, uh…” Her boyfriend grimaced awkwardly, just to immediately change the subject. “Forget it, just look how far we’ve come”  
“Yeah” Catori laughed wryly. “Now we just insult the other in our faces”  
“Instead of behind our backs, huh” He humored her, giving her hand a gentle and playful squeeze.  
“It’s much more fun this way, you nerd”  
“Kitty Kat”  
“That one’s new” She mocked him due to the resemblance to her usual nickname. “Did you come up with it on your own, big guy?”  
Stiles couldn’t help but to laugh, giving her a kiss on the temple to show how much he loved her. Even when she openly laughed at him like that. Maybe especially when she did.  
*  
The gallery was completely reconstructed. No more broken glass, no more mess of broken vases and antiques, no more wreck.  
The pair waved hello at Minerva as soon as they walked in, but what startled Catori wasn’t the sudden clean and tidy appearance that the place presented now. It was Lucy Hudson, who stood behind the counter.  
“Mom!” Catori exclaimed, letting go of Stiles’ hand quickly, like she had burned herself. “You’re here!”  
“Yes” Lucy smiled a little, eyeing her daughter and the boy that just a moment ago she was holding hands with. “What brings you here?”  
“I, uh…” The girl could feel his stare digging into her skin, and she read his mind without even needing to look at him. “Wanted to pay you a quick visit”  
Stiles lowly snickered next to her, amused by her sudden shyness. He had never seen her so flustered and adorable before! It was a rare event that he was so going to enjoy as much as he could.  
“Does it have something to do with this boy?”  
The aforesaid stopped laughing immediately, any traces of mischievousness or playfulness evaporating with the thought of facing the dreaded introduction.  
“Not really…”  
“Are you not going to introduce us?”  
“Stiles, this is my mom Lucy” Catori’s eyes wouldn’t meet theirs. “Mom, this is Stiles…”  
“Is he… a friend?”  
“He’s my boyfriend, okay?!” Catori exclaimed, louder than she intended. “And I’m pretty proud of it, and of him!”  
Stiles nudged her kindly, dedicating her that goofy grin that always made her laugh.  
“That was cute” He knew she was trying to hide her embarrassment with a fake sense of confidence, which was all the more adorable.  
Out of the blue, he leaned in and pecked her cheek lovingly, completely forgetting for a second that Lucy stood next to them since he had been too immersed in their own little world to remember.  
The pair awkwardly looked at Lucy, clumsily excusing themselves as they already walked away waving goodbye at them.  
“You should be flustered more often, it’s adorable”  
“Forget it”  
The two lovers continued walking, hand in hand. Catori leaned in to kiss Stiles in the cheek, he reciprocated with another peck and a surprise tickle attack to her side while their lips were about to connect.  
He ran away and she chased after him, dropping loving insults that were all too familiar to him. They laughed out loud. Soon after, their lips met once again.


End file.
